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World Summit on Information Technology (WSIS)

Police prevent a gathering of international and Tunisians NGOs

15 November 2005

The Tunisian authorities prevented foreign and Tunisian associations, including Front Line, from holding a meeting to organize a “Citizens Summit” in parallel with the UN World Summit on Information Technology(WSIS)in Tunis on Monday 14th November.

Front Line, together with other NGOs, cancelled planned parallel events in the main conference centre which should have been held on Tuesday 15th November as a protest against the activities of the Tunisian authorities and the ongoing harassment of Tunisian human rights defenders.

Over fifty policemen, who refused to identify themselves, prevented NGO members from entering the German Cultural Centre in Tunis. They shoved the participants and pushed one to the ground.

The Citizen’s Summit on Information Society official website has also been blocked in Tunisia and is only accessible from The WSIS Media Centre.

Andrew Anderson, Deputy Director of Front Line was one of the participants.

“ It is outrageous that the Tunisian authorities are using these bullying tactics at a world summit. They are showing a visible contempt for freedom of association and assembly.”  Read More

Tunisian human rights defender remains in prison

21 September 2005

The final preparatory committee for the upcoming UN World Summit on Information Technology (WSIS) in Tunis in November, which discusses the future of the Internet, is currently being held in Geneva. Paradoxically, human rights defender and lawyer Mr Mohammed Abbou remains imprisoned in Tunis for exercising his freedom of expression on the very medium up for discussion.

Front Line’s Deputy Director, Andrew Anderson and representatives from other international human rights organisations went to Geneva to raise their objections on the imprisonment of Mr Abbou and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tunisia, particularly the numerous repressive restrictions on the media and the Internet.

Mary Lawlor, Director of Front Line said: "President Zine el-Abidene Ben Ali approved the final statement of the last WSIS that stipulates that freedom of expression is an ‘essential foundation’ of the information society. It should be inconceivable that an international summit on the information society is to be held in a country that shows no respect for freedom of expression. Mohammed Abbou should be released immediately and unconditionally.”  Read More

Newly released security project for human rights defenders to be presented in Tunis

9 November 2005

Front Line will present NGO-in-a-Box (Security edition) on Tuesday 15 November at the UN World Summit on Information Technology (WSIS) in Tunis.

Ngo-in-a-Box is a collation of security related tools and resources for use by civil society and human rights groups and independent media. It is a peer reviewed set of free and open source software with step-by-step installation and learning manuals, distributed as a box set of CD ROMs. NGO-in-a-box (security edition) is available in five languages – English, Spanish, Russian, French and Arabic. It is available free of charge for the non-profit sector. The focus of the complied software is on digital privacy and Internet security.

Security and privacy of information is a major concern to civil society groups especially human rights monitors, independent media and anti corruption organisations that can become targets of surveillance, data theft, equipment damage and confiscation. Ngo-in-a-Box provides the non IT-expert with the tools to protect him or herself in the digital world.

“The biggest advantages of this project are for people living under repressive regimes” says project manager Dmitri Vitaliev.  Read More

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