This paper outlines AI’s current human rights concerns in Tunisia, where, in the past four years, thousands have been arbitrarily detained, tortured or ill-treated and imprisoned after apparently unfair trials. Since February 1994, an increased crackdown against government critics and known or suspected political activists across the political spectrum has further curtailed freedom of expression and association. Those targeted have included human rights activists, lawyers, academics, journalists, women and Tunisians living abroad returning for visits. The concerns described here include arbitrary detention of government critics and political activists, recent cases of torture, illegally prolonged garde a vue detention and imprisonment of prisoners of conscience. AI is also concerned about amendments to the penal code and the criminal procedure code which, it believes, have led to the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience.
