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Letter of Appeal from the AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

4 August 2000

His Excellency Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
President
Presidence de la Republique
Palais de Carthage
Carthage, 2016
Tunisia

Dear Mr. President:

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the largest organization of natural and social scientists in the United States, and the world's largest federation of scientific organizations, with 135,000 individual members and 275 affiliated groups. Our AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility was formed in 1976 to protect the human rights of scientists and to deal with issues relating to scientific freedom worldwide.

On behalf of the Committee, we are writing to express our concern about the recent dismissal of Dr. Moncef Marzouki from his position as professor of Public Health at the University of Sousse. We have been informed that on Saturday, 29 July 2000, Dr. Marzouki received a letter of dismissal from the Tunisian Ministry of Health.

Dr. Marzouki has been an outstanding advocate for community medicine. Working with colleagues from Montreal, Dr. Marzouki built an efficient department of public health in the poorest neighborhoods of Sousse. He also worked with his students to sensitize them to the concept of community medicine and what its effect could be on disadvantaged communities.

Dr. Marzouki is also one of Tunisia's leading human rights defenders. He is the former president of the Tunisian League for Human Rights (1989-1994) and is currently the spokesperson for the National Council on Liberties in Tunisia.

It is the Committee's understanding that Dr. Marzouki was dismissed for violating university policy of traveling without permission. We are concerned that his dismissal may be politically motivated and related to his human rights work in Tunisia. We respectfully request his reinstatement as Professor of Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sousse.

We also respectfully affirm the right of Dr. Marzouki and other Tunisians to hold and express opinions about the government, which rights are protected by international treaties to which Tunisia is a State Party and which conform to international norms of human rights.

Relevant human rights treaties include:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
· Article 19: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: (Tunisia ratified the treaty on 30 April 1968.)
· Article 19: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: (Tunisia ratified the treaty on 30 April 1968.)
· Article 6: "The State Parties tot he present Covenant recognize the right to work, which includes the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts, and will take appropriate steps to safeguard this right."


Relevant international standard for the protection of human rights defenders include:

Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 8 March 1999 (The Human Rights Defenders Declaration)
· Article 11: "Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to the lawful exercise of his or her occupation or profession."
· Article 12(2): The State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights]."

We respectfully request that you use your good offices to uphold internationally protected rights. We express our concern for the continued safety of Dr. Moncef Marzouki.

Sincerely,

Irving Lerch
Chair
AAAS Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility

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