Ali Laaridh, the spokesperson of the unofficial Islamic movement al-Nahda and Ziad Doulatli, a prominent al-Nahda member, were arrested on 23 December 1990 and held in garde-a-vue detention for 24 days (the legal maximum in Tunisia is 10 days). They were not brought before an examining magistrate until 15 January. At this hearing lawyers for the two were not allowed access to their clients’ files or informed of the charges against them. The lawyers have confirmed that access to the files continues to be denied and their clients continue to be held in isolation, without access to newspapers, radios or writing materials.
