EX-MINISTER SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN PRISON

On October 18, 2024, the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Tunis sentenced Ennahdha leader and former justice minister, Noureddine Bhiri, to ten years in prison on the basis of a social media post attributed to him and which he denied writing. Noureddine Bhiri was accused of “trying to change the form of the government and inciting people against each other” under Article 72 of the Tunisian penal code. Noureddine Bhiri, who has spent 18 months in arbitrary detention in the Mornaguia prison, is being further punished simply for his peaceful political opposition. The Tunisian authorities must immediately release him and quash his conviction and sentence as his imprisonment is solely based on the peaceful exercise of his human rights.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: February 1, 2025

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• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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sample letter:

Your Excellency,

I write to you and your government to express my grave concern over the unjust conviction and arbitrary detention of senior Ennahdha leader and former justice minister, Noureddine Bhiri. 

The Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Tunis convicted and sentenced him to a harsh ten year in prison on politically motivated and bogus charges for a social media post he denied writing. Following technical expertise requested by the accusation chamber, a court appointed committee concluded that he did not write the post.

According to Noureddine Bhiri’s defense committee, the verdict issued against him followed an unfair judicial process that violated the rule of law and fair trial guarantees. For instance, his lawyers filed a complaint against the investigative judge who interrogated Noureddine Bhiri after his arrest and who initially refused Noureddine Bhiri’s transfer to hospital despite apparent traces of beatings. The public prosecution disregarded the reports of torture raised by Noureddine Bhiri’s lawyers, including the judge’s denial of medical care.

I therefore urge you and your government to ensure that Noureddine Bhiri is immediately released from arbitrary detention, and that his conviction and sentence are quashed. Pending his release, I urge you and your government to ensure that he receives any medical treatment he may require and continue to allow him regular access and visits from his family and lawyers. Moreover, I call on you and your government to cease your targeted arrests of critics for the peaceful exercise of their human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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