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joint statement: Professional and human rights organizations hold the chief of government responsible for deviating the security establishment.
During the last two days, Tunisia was traumatized by a shocking, terrorising, criminal and chaotic scene that shook public opinion and brought back the images of the brutal and systematic violence lived during the reign of Ben Ali.
On the 8th of June, al-Jayara area witnessed the death, under suspicious circumstances, of the young Ahmed Ben Moncef Ben Ammar posterior to his arrest by security agent. Also, the Sidi Hssine Sijoumi area witnessed another atrocity that is of the incident of stripping a minor of all his clothes, dragging him, and assaulting him publically by security forces, then detaining him under inhumane conditions
The signing organizations, syndicates and associations of this joint statement condemn these brutal security practices that are in breach of all limits and standards and consider it to be a turning point towards a radical revision of the notion of republican security in Tunisia and the nature of democratic transition in our country, as such we are bound to stress that:
- what happened in al-Jayara and Sidi Hssine Sijoumi are not single or isolated incidents but rather a continuation of the practices that prevailed throughout the post-revolution years, became noticeably frequent during the last two years and which were exposed by the security approach to social movements during the months of December 2020 and January 2021. These incidents, were, despite the reports and recommendations of national and international human rights organizations, covered up from the top of the power pyramid.
- what occurred is condemned and criminalized, and any attempt to float it or belittle it can only lead to the denial of a clear and confirmed crime and reinforce the path of impunity regarding security crimes that have escalated in recent years and have taken on a systematic and institutional character.
- The statements of the official spokesman for the General Administration of National Security, and the official spokesman for the Ministry of Interior in relation to the two crimes have gone beyond their misleading, false and provocative nature to the crime of covering up entire crimes, which calls for their accountability and a review of the communication policy of the Ministry of Interior in the direction of transparency and clarity.
- threatening to conduct investigations on the level of the General Inspection of National Security or at the level of the judiciary in such crimes is losing its credibility with public opinion and the Tunisian elites in light of the failure to reach effective, just and equitable results in similar crimes. Similarities occured to Anwar Skrafi May 22, 2017, and Aymen Othmani October 24, 2018, Khmaies Yaferni June 8 2018, Omar Abidi April 2, 2018, Aymen Miloudi October 30, 2019, Haykel Rachdi January 25, 2021.
- the biggest responsibility now weighs upon the Tunisian media to pursue these crimes, uncover and put them in their relevant social and political contexts, open public debate around it and include the victims as well as their families from the poor and marginalized neighbourhoods, and beware of the loaded and misleading security and official stories around them.
In light of this, the signatories to this joint statement:
- hold the Chief of Government and the Acting Minister of Interior, responsible for the deviation in the security establishment towards leniency in wasting the lives of Tunisian citizen women and men and trampling on their dignity, and calls on him to take urgent measures that do justice to the victims and their families, restore respect for them, and put an end to the security establishment’s employment in solving social, economic and political crises away from reprehensible discourses about protecting rights and freedoms.
- Ensure that they will proceed to carry out litigation procedures on behalf of the two young men, follow up on it and organize campaigns until the justice is served.
The signatory parties also announce that they will organize a press conference on Tuesday, June 15, starting at 10 a.m. at the headquarters of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, in the presence of the families of the victims, in order to enlighten public opinion more about what happened in the aforementioned two crimes, and announce the total procedures required in this regard.
Signatory organizations:
- 1. the national union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT)
2. Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT)
3. the Tunisian federation for newspaper administrators
4. Bawsala
5. Tunisian Organization Against Torture
6. the Tunisian league for human rights defence
7. Tunisian Association of Democratic Women
8. EUROMED rights
9. Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES)
10. Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
11. Association of Tunisian Women for Research on Development
12. 10_23 Organization to Support the Path of Democratic Transition
13. Tunisian Federation of Association Media
14. Volunteers Association
15. The Tunisian Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
16. Free Tunisian Writers Association
17. An Eye on Mornaguia Association
18. Speak for freedom of expression and creativity
19. National Committee of Left militants
20. Bina Association for Media and Development
21. Union of unemployed graduates
22. Tunisian Association for Rights and Freedoms
23. Equality Organization
24. Damj Tunisian association for justice and equality
25. Tunisian Association for the Defence of Individual Liberties (ADLI)
26. The National Observatory for the Defence of the civil State
27. Attalaki for Freedom and Equality
28. Vigilance Committee for Democracy in Tunisia, Belgium
29. Wachm Association
30. Renewal Forum for Citizen and Progressive Thought
31. Hassan Saadawi Association for Democracy and Equality
32. General Union of Tunisian Students
33. Association of Citizenship, Development, Cultures and Migration in the Two Banks
34. Arts and Cultures Association in the two banks
35. Tunisia Youth Empowerment Forum
36. Association of Civil Solidarity Tunisia
37. Nachaz Dissonances
38. The Tunisian Association for the Defence of University Values
39. Intersection for Rights and Freedoms
40. Association of Tunisians in France
41. The Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities
42. Kalam Association
43. Lawyers Without Borders (ASF)
44. Tunis Center for Press Freedom
45. Tunisian Organization Against Torture
46. Shared Memory for Freedom and Democracy
47. The Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia
48. Soumoud coalition
49. Free Vision Association
50. Tunisian Association for Equity, Social Justice and Human Dignity
51. Tunisian Observatory of Places of Detention (OTLD)
52. Association to activate the right to disagree (ADD)
53. The Tunisian association Awledna
54. Dignity and rehabilitation coalition
55. Tunisians Federation for citizenship in the two banks
56. Tunisian Union for Citizen Action
57. citizenship Joussour association (AJC)
58. Tunisian association for cultural action (ATAC)
59. BAITY association
60. World Organisation against Torture (OMCT)
61. Freedom Martyr Organization Nabil Baraketi: memory and loyalty
62. international Alert
63. Legal agenda association: Tunis branch
64. Democcratic transition and human rights support centre (DAAM)
