5 March 2005
Front Line has condemned the violent repression of human rights defenders in Tunisia. On the 4th of March hundreds of police brutally assaulted peaceful human rights defenders and members of opposition political parties as they attempted to gather for a demonstration. Human rights lawyer Radhia Nasraoui (left) was badly beaten which resulted in a broken nose, damage to her arm and back, cuts and severe bruising. Her daughter who was also beaten required stitches to her head.
Following news of the Tunisian Government's invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to attend the UN World Summit on the Information Society in November, several protests took place in various parts of the country to protest against the decision. Tunisian human rights defenders called for Sharon to be prosecuted as a war criminal for the massacres of civilians. The violent repression on the 4th of March is part of a pattern of attacks on human rights defenders by the Tunisian authorities. 
