Rights Watchdog Calls On Tunisian Government To Lift Arbitrary Travel Restrictions

Rights Watchdog Calls on Tunisian Government to Lift Arbitrary Travel Restrictions

A prominent human rights group slammed the Tunisian authorities on Wednesday for introducing arbitrary travel restrictions allegedly aimed at boosting the national security,

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) A prominent human rights group slammed the Tunisian authorities on Wednesday for introducing arbitrary travel restrictions allegedly aimed at boosting the national security, and called on the government to ensure that all the security measures implemented in the country were in compliance with international human rights law.

In its Arbitrary Restrictions on Movement in Tunisia report, Amnesty International stipulates that the Tunisian authorities have prevented 29,450 Tunisians from traveling since 2013, citing the S17 plan on fighting terrorism, which was prompted by the government's concerns over scores of Tunisians leaving the country to join terrorist groups abroad.

"The arbitrary and discriminatory way in which S17 measures are being applied, without prior judicial authorization, is violating hundreds of people's human rights ... giving the police free rein to impose blanket and unlawful travel restrictions on hundreds of people away from the eyes of the judiciary is misguided, and is not a solution to Tunisia's security threats," Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's middle East and North Africa director, was quoted as saying by the watchdog.

Amnesty International claimed that the S17 border control measures issuance had been based solely on executive orders by the country's Interior Ministry, without any judicial oversight, adding that the restrictions had been applied in a "discriminatory" and "disproportionate" manner. According to the watchdog, the Tunisian government chose whom to apply the measures against based on previous convictions, physical appearance, or perceived religious beliefs. While the Tunisian Interior Ministry has repeatedly claimed that the measures applied to border crossing points only, they were in fact used to restrict movement between cities as well, Amnesty International's research showed.

"The Tunisian government must ensure that all arbitrary travel restrictions are lifted and that any measures restricting freedom of movement have a clear legal basis, are necessary and proportionate, and in line with human rights international law and Tunisian laws," Morayef said.

The Tunisian authorities stepped up security measures in the country in 2015, following two terrorist attacks carried out that year that claimed over 60 lives.