Tunisia: arrest of Khemais Ksila

URGENT ACTION - OBSERVATORY
TUN 001 / 9709 / OBS 014
Arbitrary Arrest /Harassment
Tunisia

26 September 1997


The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
FIDH and OMCT programme, requests your URGENT intervention in the
following situation in Tunisia:

Description of events:

The Observatory for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights has
just been informed of the arrest of Mr Khemais KSILA, Vice President
of the Tunisian League for Human Rights - affiliate of FIDH. Khemais
KSILA was arrested on the 29th of September 1997, at his home by the
security services and taken to an unknown location.

Khemais KSILA had announced the same morning his decision to begin a
hunger strike to protest the harassment, discrimination and threats
that he has been subjected to for the last 18 months - a result of his
activity in defence of human rights. These acts of harassment have
included, amongst others:

· The looting and smashing up of his car during the night of 4th and
5th December 1995.

· His dismissal from the National Train Society on the 6th of February
in 1996.

· The confiscation of his passport on 18th August 1996, when he was
supposed to be part of a delegation from the Tunisian League for Human
Rights to the United States. The confiscation was maintained despite
an invitation from the European Parliament on the 11th of June, to
participate at a meeting on the human rights situation in Tunisia.

· A persistent and constant surveillance his movements and it is
strong belief that his telephone has been monitored.

The Observatory has serious grounds for its belief that all these acts
have been motivated by the work Khemais KSILA does to defend human
rights in Tunisia - work conforming to the Universal Declaration on
Human Rights and other international Conventions ratified by Tunisia.

Given the current situation prevailing in Tunisia and the
circumstances of his arrest and incommunicado detention, the
Observatory must express its grave concerns for the physical and
psychological integrity of Khemais KSILA.






The Observatory is has equally serious health concerns. Khemais KSILA
is a diabetic and he has not had his medicine since his arrest.
Additionally he had made it very clear to his wife of his
determination to carry out his hunger strike whatever happened to him.

Action Requested :

Please write to the Tunisian authorities urging them to:

i 	guarantee respect for the physical and psychological integrity of
Khemais KSILA

ii	given that the arrest was simply designed to cut short his human
rights activities immediately secure his release;

iii	More generally, conform to the dispositions of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and other International Conventions
ratified by Tunisia which guarantee the rights and freedoms of human
rights defenders

Addresses :

Monsieur Ziné El Abidine BEN ALI, Président de la République de
Tunisie. Fax : + 216 1 742 513/  216 1 744 721 / 216 1 731 009 M.
Mohamed Ben Rejeb, Ministre de l'Intérieur, Ministère de l'Intérieur,
Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Tunis, Tunisie.   Fax.:(+216 1) 340 888 M.
Abdallah Kallel, Ministre de la Justice, Ministère de la Justice,
Boulevard Bab Benet, Tunis, Tunisie.   Fax.:(+216 1) 568 106 ou 567
070 M. Abderrahim Zouari, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères, Ministère
des Affaires Etrangères, Place du Gouvernement, La Kasba, Tunis,
Tunisie.   Fax.:	(+216 1) 567 050

The Embassy of Tunisia in your respective countries

Geneva - Paris, 30 September 1997

The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.