International PEN is deeply concerned at reports that the health of ailing imprisoned journalist and writer Taoufik Ben Brik is deteriorating as a result of poor treatment in prison. Ben Brik suffers from Cushing’s Syndrome, a chronic ailment that weakens immunity and requires that he be under medical supervision. The journalist is serving a six-month prison term for assault, damaging property, harming public decency, and defamation, although it is widely believed he is targeted for having published articles critical of President Ben Ali in the foreign press during the election campaign of October 2009. PEN calls on the Tunisian authorities to ensure Taoufik Ben Brik receives the medical attention he requires as a matter of urgency. It also demands his immediate and unconditional release on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Tunisia is a signatory.

Background Information

The following is part of a statement issued by the Observatoire pour la Liberté de Presse, d'édition et de Creation (OLPEC), on January 8, 2010:
 
(OLPEC/IFEX) - OLPEC is extremely concerned by journalist and writer Taoufik Ben Brik's declining health. His family, which visited him on 6 January 2010, told OLPEC of a worrying deterioration of his health due to negligence by prison authorities and the poor hygiene conditions to which he has been subjected in Siliana prison, where he was transferred illegally as a retaliatory measure.
 
His doctors recently published a statement in which they drew attention to the fragility of his health, stating that "his state of health and his hormonal treatment are at the origin of a significant weakness in his immune system. His condition requires regular follow-up and monitoring by a competent medical specialist. Strict hygiene standards must be respected to avoid any deterioration that could threaten his prognosis."
 
Ben Brik's wife, sister and brothers, whose homes are under constant police surveillance, have decided to launch a hunger strike starting on January 6, to protest "this slow death to which he is being subjected."
 
Ben Brik was sentenced on 26 November 2009 at the conclusion of an unfair trial to six months in prison for having published articles critical of President Ben Ali in the foreign press during the election campaign.
 
The October 2009 elections were a time of unprecedented repression by the authorities against journalists who dared to criticise them.

Write A Letter

  • Calling for the immediate release of Taoufik Ben Brik on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
  • Seeking reassurances from the Tunisian authorities that Taoufik Ben Brik receives the medical care he urgently requires.

Send Your Letter To

President
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
President
Palais Présidentiel
Tunis , Tunisia
Fax: +216 71 744 721

Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Béchir Tekkari
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
31 boulevard Bab Benat
Tunis 1019, Tunisia
Fax: +216 71 568 106

Please also send copies of your appeals to the diplomatic representative for Tunisa in your country if possible.

Please send appeals immediately. Contact PEN if sending appeals after February 15, 2010: ftw [at] pen.org