EU/Tunisia: the economic interests of the EU cannot come before human rights

 Welcoming the organisation of a European Parliament debate on EU/Tunisia relations, Marie Christine Vergiat of the United Left (GUE/NGL) and France's Front de Gauche (Left Front) said that she considered it nevertheless regrettable that the debate was not accompanied by a resolution stating the Parliament's position.

The EU's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) now include clauses concerning democracy and human rights, and for the MEP responsible in the GUE/NGL for the Sub-Committee on Human Rights "these have to be examined with the same vigilance as the economic clauses. On 25 November, Mr Ben Ali was re-elected for his 5th mandate with more than 89% of the vote, an exemplary score in a country where democracy is completely blocked, where the advocates of human rights, magistrates, lawyers, and journalists are harassed, imprisoned and even tortured. The case of Taoufik Ben Brik, that went to trial on Saturday provides an example but one could also speak about journalists Zouhaïer Maklouf and Fahem Boukadous - one condemned for speaking about the environmental conditions of the Nabeuf industrial area and the other for highlighting the repression of peaceful mine worker protests in the mining region of Gafsa Redeyef. You could also speak about human rights defenders Kamel Jendoubi, Sihem Bensedrine, Sana Ben Achour, Khemais Chammari, Raddia Nasraoui, victim of permanent restrictions on his ability to carry out his job as a lawyer, victims of a shameful press campaign. You can also question the delaying of UN reports or the refusal to accept EU observers during the recent elections".

According to Marie Christine Vergiat, "the facts are there, they are increasingly denounced by the media in our countries. This is why we intend to ask the Commission and the Council what measures they intend to take so that Tunisia keeps to its commitments as regards democracy and human rights under the current agreements and to refuse any opening of negotiations on an upgraded status in such a context".

There are big gaps in democracy, respect for human rights, freedom of expression, rights of association etc, Vergiat concluded,  and these are totally unacceptable. "The economic interests of the European Union cannot come before the defence of those who defend human rights and the defence, more generally, of all democrats."