{"id":18641,"date":"2007-04-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-04-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/25-avril-2007\/"},"modified":"2007-04-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-04-25T00:00:00","slug":"25-avril-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/25-avril-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"25 avril 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><html><head><meta content=\"text\/html\" description=\" \u2013 Les \n            autorit\u00e9s doivent lib\u00e9rer Daniel Zarrouk et revoir tous les cas des \n            prisonniers ayant \u00e9t\u00e9 condamn\u00e9s \u00e0 de multiples peines de prison pour \n            les m\u00eames faits, d\u00e9clare aujourd\u2019hui Human Rights Watch dans une \n            lettre ouverte envoy\u00e9e aujourd\u2019hui au Pr\u00e9sident de la R\u00e9publique \n            Tunisienne Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\/><\/head><body><body style=\"text-align: justify\"><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tunisnews.net\"><font face=\"Arabic Transparent\"><span><font>Home<\/font><\/span><font><span lang=\"FR-CH\"> &#8211; Accueil <\/span><span>&#8211; <\/span><\/font><\/font><span dir=\"rtl\" lang=\"AR-SA\"><font>\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629<\/font><\/span><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<div> <font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0   <span lang=\"FR\"> <\/p>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"> <font size=\"2\"> <span lang=\"SV\"> <strong>TUNISNEWS<\/strong><\/span> <\/font> <\/div>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"> <strong><font size=\"2\">7\u00a0\u00e8me\u00a0ann\u00e9e, <span lang=\"FR\">N\u00b0\u00a02528     du 25.04.2007<\/span><\/font><\/strong><\/div>\n<p> <strong> <\/p>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"> <b><span><blink> <font size=\"2\">\u00a0archives : <\/font><a href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <font size=\"2\" target=\"_blank\">www.tunisnews.net<\/font><\/a><\/blink><\/span><\/b><font size=\"2\"> <\/font><font> <span lang=\"FR\"><font size=\"3\"> <strong> <\/strong><\/font><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n<p> <\/strong><\/span><\/font> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\"> <span lang=\"FR\"> <font><\/font><span> <\/p>\n<p><font> <\/p>\n<div align=\"left\" dir=\"ltr\"> <font><\/font> <font face=\"Arial\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><font> <\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Human           Rights Watch :Tunisie: Lib\u00e9rer un dissident condamn\u00e9 \u00e0 de multiples           reprises pour les m\u00eames faits<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Human Rights Watch             :Letter to President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali on Daniel Zarrouk<\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<div align=\"justify\"> <strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font>AP: Une Tunisienne \u00e0 la t\u00eate de la               FIDH<\/font><\/h2>\n<p><\/strong><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font><font>La Tunisienne               Souheir Belhassen \u00e9lue \u00e0 la t\u00eate de la FIDH<\/font> <\/font><\/h2>\n<p> <\/strong> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Mouwaten Tounsi\u00a0:\u00a0\u00ab Si             Mokhtar \u00bb (Mokhtar LATIRI) je ne t&rsquo;oublierai\u00a0 jamais. <\/strong> <\/font><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font face=\"Arial\"><strong>l\u2019Association des             Dipl\u00f4m\u00e9s de l\u2019Ecole Polytechnique de Tunis : Si Mokhtar Laatiri, un             des p\u00e8res de la Tunisie technique, n\u2019est plus<\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Edito du             Monde:Pr\u00e9sidentielle turque<\/strong><\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Reuters: Muslims believe             US goal to weaken Islam, poll finds<\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Reuters: Fusion Muslim             chic hits Europe&rsquo;s streets<\/strong><\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p> <font face=\"Arial\"> <\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"3\"><strong>Tunisie: Lib\u00e9rer un dissident             condamn\u00e9 \u00e0 de multiples reprises pour les m\u00eames faits<\/strong><\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>(New York, April 25, 2007)<\/font> \u2013 Les             autorit\u00e9s doivent lib\u00e9rer Daniel Zarrouk et revoir tous les cas des             prisonniers ayant \u00e9t\u00e9 condamn\u00e9s \u00e0 de multiples peines de prison pour             les m\u00eames faits, d\u00e9clare aujourd\u2019hui Human Rights Watch dans une             lettre ouverte envoy\u00e9e aujourd\u2019hui au Pr\u00e9sident de la R\u00e9publique             Tunisienne Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.                          M. Zarrouk, un militant du mouvement islamiste (interdit) an-Nahdha,             est en prison depuis 1992. Depuis son arrestation, les tribunaux             tunisiens l\u2019ont condamn\u00e9 quatre fois pour son appartenance \u00e0             an-Nahdha.                          Des avocats tunisiens des droits de l\u2019homme affirment que le cas de             M. Zarrouk n\u2019est qu\u2019un cas parmi tant d\u2019autres dans lequel les             tribunaux auraient condamn\u00e9 un dissident de multiples fois pour les             m\u00eames faits, violant ainsi tant le droit international que le droit             tunisien.                          \u201cLes condamnations multiples pour appartenance \u00e0 une association             interdite ont \u00e9t\u00e9 instrumentalis\u00e9es pour rallonger les peines de M.             Zarrouk \u2013 et en toute probabilit\u00e9 les peines d\u2019autres dissidents,\u201d a             d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Sarah Leah Whitson, Directrice de la Division Moyen-Orient\/Afrique             du Nord \u00e0 Human Rights Watch.                          Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali acc\u00e9da \u00e0 la pr\u00e9sidence de la R\u00e9publique en             1987 et tol\u00e9ra le mouvement an-Nahdha pendant les premi\u00e8res ann\u00e9es             de sa pr\u00e9sidence. D\u00e9s le d\u00e9but des ann\u00e9es 1990s, il \u00e9limina ce             mouvement de la sc\u00e8ne politique, l\u2019accusant de comploter contre le             gouvernement. Les dirigeants d\u2019an-Nahdha qui ne partirent pas en             exil furent emprisonn\u00e9s, au terme de proc\u00e8s ne respectant pas les             garanties judiciaires minimums. Quinze ans plus tard, beaucoup de             ces dirigeants se trouvent toujours en prison.                          Les tribunaux ont condamn\u00e9 M. Zarrouk, un professeur d\u2019\u00e9ducation             islamique n\u00e9 en 1955 et p\u00e8re de trois enfants, \u00e0 plus de vingt ans             de prison pour plusieurs d\u00e9lits et crimes, y compris \u00e0 un total de             neuf ann\u00e9es de prison pour \u00ab appartenance \u00e0 une association             non-reconnue \u00bb. Sa lib\u00e9ration pourrait intervenir en 2009, gr\u00e2ce \u00e0             des commutations de peine. Pendant les proc\u00e8s, M. Zarrouk a toujours             ni\u00e9 avoir organis\u00e9 ou commis des actes de violence mais a admis             avoir appartenu au mouvement an-Nahdha.                          Dans sa lettre au Pr\u00e9sident de la R\u00e9publique, Human Rights Watch a             soulign\u00e9\u00a0 l\u2019ill\u00e9galit\u00e9 des convictions multiples pour une m\u00eame             offense, en pr\u00e9cisant \u00e9galement son opposition de principe aux lois             qui criminalisent l\u2019appartenance \u00e0 une organisation politique             lorsque cette appartenance ne s\u2019accompagne pas d\u2019actes de nature             criminel, comme par exemple la planification ou la commission             d\u2019actes violents.                          Lors du deuxi\u00e8me, troisi\u00e8me et quatri\u00e8me proc\u00e8s de M. Zarrouk, les             tribunaux tunisiens ont rejet\u00e9 les arguments de la d\u00e9fense qui             plaidait le fait que leur client \u00e9tait jug\u00e9 pour le m\u00eame crime             d\u2019appartenance \u00e0 an-Nahdha pour lequel il avait d\u00e9j\u00e0 \u00e9t\u00e9 condamn\u00e9.             Alors qu\u2019il incombait au Tribunal lors de chaque proc\u00e8s d\u2019expliquer             en quoi le crime de M. Zarrouk \u00e9tait distinct et ne lui avait pas             d\u00e9j\u00e0 valu de condamnation, les tribunaux ont au contraire             caract\u00e9ris\u00e9 \u00ab l\u2019adh\u00e9sion \u00bb au mouvement an-Nahdha de crime \u00ab continu             \u00bb et, de fa\u00e7on perverse, ont mis \u00e0 la charge de l\u2019inculp\u00e9 le fait de             prouver que le nouveau crime \u00e9tait en effet le m\u00eame que celui ayant             valu la pr\u00e9c\u00e9dente condamnation.                          \u00ab Selon la logique du syst\u00e8me judiciaire tunisien, qu\u2019est ce qui             emp\u00eacherait les tribunaux de condamner M. Zarrouk pour chaque             journ\u00e9e o\u00f9 il fut membre d\u2019une organisation interdite? \u00bb s\u2019interroge             Human Rights Watch dans sa lettre au Pr\u00e9sident Ben Ali.                          Les avocats de M. Zarrouk ainsi que Human Rights Watch ont \u00e9crit             s\u00e9par\u00e9ment au Ministre de la Justice B\u00e9chir Tekkari pour demander la             r\u00e9vision des proc\u00e8s de M. Zarrouk au terme desquels il avait \u00e9t\u00e9             jug\u00e9 \u00e0 chaque fois coupable de l\u2019infraction d\u2019appartenance \u00e0             an-Nahdha, entre autres. Le ministre n\u2019a pas donn\u00e9 suite \u00e0 ces             lettres.                          Le code de proc\u00e9dure p\u00e9nal tunisien, qui sur ce point est en             harmonie avec le droit international, interdit de poursuivre ou de             punir p\u00e9nalement un individu pour une infraction pour laquelle il a             d\u00e9j\u00e0 \u00e9t\u00e9 acquitt\u00e9 ou condamn\u00e9 conform\u00e9ment \u00e0 la loi par un jugement             p\u00e9nal entr\u00e9 en force.                          \u00ab Le syst\u00e8me judiciaire tunisien doit r\u00e9pondre aux appels des             prisonniers qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 injustement condamn\u00e9 de multiples fois pour             le m\u00eame crime \u00bb a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Whitson. \u00ab et Daniel Zarrouk \u2013 dont             l\u2019\u00e9tude du dossier d\u00e9montre le caract\u00e8re injuste de ses             condamnations \u2013 doit \u00eatre lib\u00e9r\u00e9 imm\u00e9diatement.\u00bb                          Pour lire la lettre de Human Rights Watch au Pr\u00e9sident Ben Ali,             veuillez suivre ce lien:             <font>http:\/\/hrw.org\/english\/docs\/2007\/04\/25\/tunisi15755.htm                         <\/font> <b><font>Pour obtenir des informations             suppl\u00e9mentaires, veuillez contacter:             \u00c0 Paris, Eric Goldstein (anglais, fran\u00e7ais): +33-6-20-67-27-27             (mobile)             \u00c0 New York, Sarah Leah Whitson (anglais): +1-212-216-1230 (office)             Au Caire, Fadi Al-Qadi (arabe, anglais): +20-12-135-9232 (mobile)<\/font><\/b><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font><strong><font>(Source : le             site de Human Rights Watch, le 25 avril 2007)<\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"3\"><strong>Letter to President Zine             el-Abidine Ben Ali on Daniel Zarrouk<\/strong><\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>Tunisia: Free Dissident Jailed on Repeat             Convictions<\/font>                          Press Release, April 25, 2007                          April 25, 2007\u00a0                                        M. Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali\u00a0              President of the Republic\u00a0              Palais de Carthage\u00a0              Carthage Tunisia 2016\u00a0                                        Your Excellency,\u00a0                           Human Rights Watch is writing to urge you to release immediately and             unconditionally Daniel Zarrouk, who has already served more than 15             years in prison.\u00a0                           Scrutiny of Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s four convictions leaves no doubt in our             mind that Tunisian courts convicted him multiple times for exactly             the same offense \u2013 membership in the unrecognized Islamist movement             an-Nahdha \u2013 in defiance of international law and Tunisian\u2019s code of             penal procedure, both of which prohibit judging a defendant more             than once for an offense for which he has already been definitively             convicted or acquitted (the concepts of non bis in idem\/ l\u2019autorit\u00e9             de la chose jug\u00e9e).\u00a0                           Moreover, Human Rights Watch is concerned by reports from Tunisian             defense lawyers that Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s plight is not unique among             long-term prisoners affiliated with an-Nahdha. It is common, they             say, for courts to convict defendants in cases of a political nature             more than once for the same offense, thereby lengthening their time             in prison.\u00a0                           We consequently hope that your justice minister will instruct the             judiciary to carefully examine arguments raised by defendants that             they are being tried, or have been convicted, more than once for the             same offense.\u00a0                           <font>Here are the facts in Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s case:\u00a0              <\/font>             Mr. Zarrouk was born on July 23, 1955. A resident of Rades, he             worked as a high school teacher of civic and Islamic education, and             is the father of three children. Since his incarceration in 1992,             authorities have tried Zarrouk four times, convicting him each time             of \u201cmaintaining\u201d an unauthorized organization, along with other             charges. He is currently in Mornaghia prison.\u00a0                           Article 30 of the law on associations (Law 59-154 of 1959) subjects             persons who participate in \u201cmaintaining or re-establishing, directly             or indirectly, associations that lack legal existence\u201d to a             punishment of one to five years in prison and a fine of 100,000             dinars, or one of these punishments. While Law 59-154\u2019s Article 30             refers to the offense of \u201cmaintaining\u201d an unauthorized organization,             the courts in their judgments commonly refer to the offense as             \u201cmembership\u201d in an unauthorized organization.\u00a0                           In his second, third, and fourth trials, Mr. Zarrouk asked the court             to drop the charge of membership because he had previously been             convicted of it. Each time, the court rejected Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s             argument and imposed additional prison terms totaling four years for             this offense, over and above the five-year term imposed on him for             this offense in his first trial. The courts imposed a total of more             than 20 years of prison on Mr. Zarrouk on this and other charges. We             understand that Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s sentences have been commuted and he is             now due for release in 2009.\u00a0                           During all of his trials, Mr. Zarrouk steadfastly denied all charges             of engaging in or planning violent activities, although he readily             admitted to being an activist in an-Nahdha.\u00a0                           As a matter of principle, Human Rights Watch opposes laws that             criminalize belonging to or maintaining a political organization\u2014independent             of any cognizable criminal deeds, such as committing, attempting or             conspiring to acts of violence. We thus view Article 30 of Tunisia\u2019s             law on associations as incompatible with internationally recognized             principles protecting the right to freedom of association.\u00a0                           Furthermore, we have concerns about the overall conduct of the             trials of Mr. Zarrouk and whether they complied with international             standards for a fair trial. Tunisian courts have often convicted             defendants belonging to an-Nahdha on the basis of statements that             the police extracted from the defendants themselves or from third             parties using improper coercive measures. Moreover, Mr. Zarrouk and             many others have been convicted for nonviolent political activities             such as attending \u201cunauthorized\u201d meetings \u2013 in violation of their             right to freedom of assembly.\u00a0                           Beyond these general concerns, we are alarmed by the way that             Tunisian courts have treated maintaining or belonging to an             unauthorized organization as a continuous offense, and placed the             burden on a defendant facing a second charge for this offense to             prove that it pertains to the same set of facts and time interval as             a previous charge.\u00a0                           In the chronology of Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s case that follows, we ask that             you excuse any slight inaccuracies in our rendering of excerpts from             the court judgments. We could not always be sure of the text, owing             to its illegibility in many places, errors of spelling and of             syntax, and the often brief and elliptical explanations of the             court\u2019s reasoning.\u00a0                           A Tunis Court of First Instance convicted Mr. Zarrouk on May 28,             1992 (ruling 20721), giving him five years in prison for maintaining             an unauthorized organization, 16 days in prison for attending             illegal gatherings, and 15 days in prison for unauthorized             collection of funds, plus two years of administrative control after             his release from prison.\u00a0                           On July 27, 1992, the Tunis Appeals Court upheld the lower-court             ruling (ruling 72466). Its written judgment states, Daniel Zarrouk             said he belonged to the Nahdha movement and \u201cwas responsible for             carrying out studies on behalf of this movement, beginning in 1985\u201d             (page two). The court\u2019s written judgment makes no other reference to             the period of time during which Mr. Zarrouk belonged to or served             the organization.\u00a0                           On June 27, 1992, a Tunis Court of First Instance convicted Mr.             Zarrouk once again of \u201cmaintaining an unauthorized organization,\u201d             and sentenced him to one year in prison (ruling 21610). The Tunis             Appeals Court upheld the verdict in this second case on December 11,             1992 (ruling 72922). Its judgment states, Daniel Zarrouk had             \u201cbelonged to an-Nahdha since 1980 and was appointed a member of             an-Nahdha\u2019s bureau, then at the district level in 1985, before being             elected a worker in the Tunis area\u2026of this unrecognized and             unauthorized movement, as the defendant himself acknowledged during             the investigation\u201d (page 1).\u00a0                           The Appeals Court ruling provided no further details about Mr.             Zarrouk\u2019s Nahdha membership. Nor did the court address oral             arguments made by the defense during the appeals trial that it was             trying Mr. Zarrouk for the same offense for which he had just been             convicted in another trial.\u00a0                           On January 26, 1994, an Appeals Court, sitting as the Court of First             Instance, sentenced Mr. Zarrouk to ten years in prison for \u201cheading             a criminal enterprise for the purpose of perpetrating attacks on             persons and property\u201d and one year for \u201cmaintaining an unauthorized             association,\u201d plus two years of administrative control after his             release from prison (ruling 18980). The Appeals Court written             judgment stated that Mr. Zarrouk admitted that he \u00ab\u00a0belonged to the             Nahda movement and resumed his activities in its core after the             amnesty that followed \u201cThe Change\u201d [i.e., your assuming the             Presidency of the Republic in November 1987], and that he was             appointed as a supervisor over the Sidi el-B\u00e9chir area, and that he             attended a meeting in al-Zayatin neighborhood organized by the             leader al-Habib al-Louz, who urged those present to devote             themselves entirely to resistance and then he attended another             meeting \u2026 at which it was decided to confront the authorities first             by peaceful marches and then by marches at which arms would be             carried.\u201d Finally, it said that Mr. Zarrouk had collected money to             support the families of an-Nahdha prisoners (pages 11-12).\u00a0                           Among the defense\u2019s arguments before the Appeals Court was that Mr.             Zarrouk should be acquitted of \u201cmaintaining\u201d an-Nahdha because he             had already been twice convicted for this offense. The court             rejected this argument, claiming that \u201cnothing proves that the             previous convictions concerned the same period of time, the offense             of membership being a continuous offense\u201d (page 13).\u00a0                           The Appeals Court thus seems to have placed the burden on the             defendant of proving non bis in idem, an unreasonable if not             impossible burden since the previous convictions did not delimit the             periods that he had committed the offense of membership beyond             general references to \u201cbeginning in 1985\u201d and \u201csince 1980.\u201d\u00a0                           On May 23, 1995, an Appeals Court, sitting as the Court of First             Instance, convicted Mr. Zarrouk\u2014at the time serving his fourth year             in prison\u2014in a fourth case (ruling 19630), sentencing him to two             years imprisonment for maintaining an unauthorized organization, one             year for participation in illegal meetings and four months for the             unauthorized collection of funds, plus five years of administrative             control after he leaves prison. Mr. Zarrouk was one of 36 alleged             Nahdha members charged in this case.\u00a0                           Mr. Zarrouk argued for acquittal on the charge of maintaining\/belonging             to an-Nahdha, on the grounds that the courts had already convicted             him three times for this offense. The court in its written ruling             noted that one of the conditions for the defense to successfully win             acquittal on the basis of non bis in idem is its ability to show             that the membership offenses in the multiple cases are in fact \u201cthe             same in terms of time and space\u201d (page 19). The Appeals Court thus             once again placed the burden on the defense to show that the facts             in each case were different. The court itself did not distinguish             the period and place of Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s membership in this case from             the previous ones and proceeded to convict him a fourth time on the             membership charge.\u00a0                           The evidence seems abundant that the courts in Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s second,             third, and fourth trials unfairly upheld Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s convictions             for the same offense, in violation of the principle of non bis in             idem.\u00a0                           The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states in             Article 14.7, \u201cNo one shall be liable to be tried or punished again             for an offence for which he has already been finally convicted or             acquitted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of each             country.\u201d Tunisia\u2019s Code of Criminal Procedure states, in Article             4(5), \u201cLegal proceedings are stopped in the event of a previous             judgment.\u201d\u00a0                           We are also concerned by the court\u2019s implication in case 18980 of             1994 that a defendant arguing non bis in idem faces the burden of             proving that the new charge of \u201cmaintaining\u201d an illegal organization             applied to a period for which he had already been convicted of this             offense. This peremptory dismissal of the defendant\u2019s argument of             non bis in idem contradicts the presumption of innocence, which is a             general principle of law. This principle places the burden of proof             on the prosecutor, not the defendant, to prove all elements of an             offense, including that the offense in question is distinct from             earlier adjudicated ones.\u00a0                           This peremptory dismissal also seems to violate Tunisia\u2019s Code of             Penal Procedure. The Code\u2019s Article 168(4) requires that a court\u2019s             judgment state \u201cthe reasoning both in terms of the facts and the law             of the decision.\u201d In view of this provision, where the defense             raises an objection to a charge under the principle of non bis in             idem, a court in rejecting the motion must at minimum make explicit             why the new offense and the previous offense are distinct.\u00a0                           As noted above, Tunisian courts have characterized membership in an             unauthorized organization as a continuous offense. This             characterization suggests to us that it can be prosecuted only once             for a period in the past, since it is a single act that continues             from the moment the defendant joins the organization, requiring no             additional acts on his part. However in Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s case, Tunisian             courts seem to have partitioned a period in the past in such a way             as to convict him for multiple membership offenses.\u00a0                           By this logic, what is to prevent prosecuting Mr. Zarrouk separately             for every single day that he belonged to an \u201cunauthorized\u201d             organization?\u00a0                           One of Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s lawyers, Samir Ben Amor of the bar of Tunis,             addressed to Minister of Justice B\u00e9chir Tekkari a letter dated June             17, 2005, in which he asked for a review of Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s multiple             convictions under Article 30 of Law 154\/59, to determine whether             they violated the principle of non bis in idem. Mr. Ben Amor reports             that his letter, registered by the justice ministry under the number             63546, has gone unanswered to this day.\u00a0                           Human Rights Watch also addressed a private letter to Minister             Tekkari in Arabic on March 16, 2007, detailing Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s case             and requesting evidence that his multiple convictions had been for             distinct offenses. Minister Tekkari neither acknowledged nor             responded to our inquiry, despite our efforts to follow up.\u00a0                           Although we are not persuaded of the justice of Mr. Zarrouk\u2019s             conviction on the various non-membership charges, we wish to note             that by 2003 he had already served out the eleven and-a-half years             imposed on him for those other charges.\u00a0                           We urge you therefore to grant Mr. Zarrouk his freedom             unconditionally and without delay.\u00a0                           We have noted the reasons we oppose the criminalization of mere             membership\/maintaining of a party that is \u201cunrecognized.\u201d We urge             you to initiate a reexamination of this article of the law on             associations with a view to bringing it into compliance with             international standards governing the right to freedom of             association.\u00a0                           With respect to the practice of convicting persons more than once             for the same offense, we hope that Tunisia\u2019s judiciary will examine             seriously and respond substantively to appeals from persons who             claim they were unjustly convicted for the same offense. We also             hope the judiciary will ensure that in future cases involving             defendants who plead no bis in idem, the courts will impose the             burden on the prosecution rather than on the defense of showing that             the facts at hand are distinct in time and place from those for             which the defendant was previously tried.\u00a0                           We thank you for your consideration and welcome your comments.\u00a0                           Sincerely yours,\u00a0                                        <font>Sarah Leah Whitson\u00a0              Executive Director\u00a0              Middle East and North Africa division<\/font>\u00a0                           <font><strong>(Source : le site de Human Rights             Watch, le 25 avril 2007)             <\/strong><\/font><font>Lien :            <a href=\"http:\/\/hrw.org\/english\/docs\/2007\/04\/25\/tunisi15755.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">            http:\/\/hrw.org\/english\/docs\/2007\/04\/25\/tunisi15755.htm<\/a><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font> <\/font><\/div>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font size=\"3\"> <strong>Une Tunisienne \u00e0 la t\u00eate de la FIDH<\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>Associated Press, le 25 avril 2007 \u00e0 22h32<\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>TUNIS (AP) &#8212;<\/font> La militante tunisienne             Souheir Belhassen a \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9lue \u00e0 la pr\u00e9sidence de la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration             internationale des ligues des droits de l&rsquo;homme (FIDH), dont             l&rsquo;assembl\u00e9e g\u00e9n\u00e9rale \u00e9lective se tient actuellement au Portugal,             a-t-on appris mardi aupr\u00e8s d&rsquo;Anouar Kousri, un des dirigeants de la             Ligue tunisienne des droits de l&rsquo;Homme (LTDH).                          \u00a0Premi\u00e8re femme \u00e0 diriger cette importante ONG, Mme Belhassen             succ\u00e8de \u00e0 ce poste au S\u00e9n\u00e9galais Sidiki Kaba, dont elle \u00e9tait             l&rsquo;adjointe, pour un mandat de trois ans. Cette ancienne journaliste,             sexag\u00e9naire, est vice-pr\u00e9sidente de la LTDH.                          \u00a0Compos\u00e9e de plus de 140 ligues de quelque 100 pays, la FIDH             coordonne et soutient les actions de ses membres et leur apporte un             relais international. Elle est non partisane, non confessionnelle et             ind\u00e9pendante de tout gouvernement et dispose d&rsquo;un statut consultatif             aupr\u00e8s de l&rsquo;ONU, de l&rsquo;UNESCO et du Conseil de l&rsquo;Europe.                          <font><strong>Associated Press <\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><\/strong><\/font> <\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font> <\/p>\n<div>              \u00a0<\/div>\n<div>              \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"center\"> <strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font size=\"3\">La Tunisienne Souheir               Belhassen \u00e9lue \u00e0 la t\u00eate de la FIDH<\/font><\/h3>\n<p> <\/strong> <\/div>\n<div> <strong>\u00a0 <\/strong> <\/div>\n<div> <font>AFP, mercredi 25 avril 2007 <\/font> <\/div>\n<div> <font>LISBONNE &#8211; La Tunisienne Souheir Belhassen a               \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9lue mardi soir \u00e0 Lisbonne, \u00e0 la pr\u00e9sidence de la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration               internationale des ligues des droits de l&rsquo;homme (FIDH) pour un               mandat de trois ans, a-t-on appris mercredi aupr\u00e8s de cet               organisme. <\/font> <\/div>\n<div> <font>\u00a0 <\/font> <\/p>\n<div> <font>Mme Belhassen, 63 ans, vice-pr\u00e9sidente de                 la Ligue tunisienne pour les droits de l&rsquo;homme (LTDH), est                 journaliste de profession. Elle succ\u00e8de au S\u00e9n\u00e9galais Sidiki                 Kaba \u00e0 la suite de l&rsquo;\u00e9lection organis\u00e9e par l&rsquo;assembl\u00e9e g\u00e9n\u00e9rale                 de la FIDH qui se tenait cette semaine au Portugal. <\/font> <\/p>\n<div> <font>\u00a0 <\/font> <\/p>\n<div> <font>Ancienne vice-pr\u00e9sidente de la FIDH,                     Mme Belhassen s&rsquo;est engag\u00e9e sur de nombreux fronts en faveur                     des droits humains et notamment la d\u00e9fense des droits des                     femmes. <\/font> <\/p>\n<div>                      \u00a0<\/div>\n<div> <font>La FIDH, cr\u00e9\u00e9e en 1922, f\u00e9d\u00e8re 141                       ligues de d\u00e9fense des droits humains de pr\u00e8s de 100 pays.                       Non-partisane, non-confessionnelle et ind\u00e9pendante de tout                       gouvernement, la FIDH est une organisation                       non-gouvernementale dont la vocation est d&rsquo;agir pour le                       respect de tous les droits humains.<\/font><\/div>\n<div>                      \u00a0<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><\/strong> <\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font size=\"3\"><strong>\u00ab Si Mokhtar \u00bb (Mokhtar             LATIRI) je ne t&rsquo;oublierai\u00a0 jamais.<\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>&#8211; 1926 :<\/font> \u00ab Si Mokhtar \u00bb est n\u00e9 \u00e0             Hammam-Sousse. Son p\u00e8re \u00e9tait ma\u00eetre ma\u00e7on et ma\u00eetre tisserand.                          &#8211;<font> 1944 :<\/font> titulaire du prix du R\u00e9sident             g\u00e9n\u00e9ral, il se fait financer son d\u00e9part pour Paris (Lyc\u00e9e             Louis-le-Grand) par des dons priv\u00e9s                          <font>&#8211; 1949<\/font> : Dipl\u00f4me d&rsquo;Ing\u00e9nieur de l\u2019\u00c9cole             polytechnique de Paris                          <font>&#8211; 1951<\/font> : Dipl\u00f4me de l&rsquo;Ecole des Ponts             et Chauss\u00e9es                          <font>&#8211; 1958<\/font> : \u00e0 32 ans il est nomm\u00e9             ing\u00e9nieur en chef des travaux publics (un poste qu&rsquo;il a occup\u00e9             pendant 11 ans). Parmi ses r\u00e9alisations : A\u00e9roports de             Tunis-Carthage, Skan\u00e8s-Monastir et Djerba, port de Gab\u00e8s, complexe             touristique de Port el-Kantaoui, l\u2019am\u00e9nagement de la vall\u00e9e de la             Medjerda et ses barrages hydro\u00e9lectriques (avec Lassaad Ben Osman et             Abedalziz Zena\u00efdi)                          <font>&#8211; 1966 &#8211; 1968 :<\/font> direction des             Industries chimiques de Metlaoui                          <font>&#8211; 1977 &#8211; 1980 :<\/font> direction de la STEG                          <font>&#8211; 1961 &#8211; 1975<\/font> : directeur fondateur de             l\u2019\u00c9cole nationale des ing\u00e9nieurs de Tunisie (\u00c9nit), qu\u2019il pr\u00e9sida de             1961 \u00e0 1975                          &#8211; fondateur de la \u00ab fili\u00e8re A \u00bb, r\u00e9serv\u00e9e aux meilleurs bacheliers             scientifiques et mise en place en accord avec la France de mani\u00e8re \u00e0             garantir aux Tunisiens un quota annuel d\u2019une centaine de places dans             les meilleures classes pr\u00e9paratoires aux grandes \u00e9coles Fran\u00e7aises :             179 re\u00e7us \u00e0 Polytechnique-Paris entre 1965 et 2000                          <font>&#8211; 1965 &#8211; 1975<\/font> : maire de sa ville             natale Hammam-Sousse                          <font>&#8211; 1975 :<\/font> accus\u00e9 de complaisance envers             l\u2019islamisme \u00e0 cause de la construction d\u2019une mosqu\u00e9e dans l\u2019enceinte             du campus de l\u2019Enit                          <font>&#8211; 1989 &#8211; 2004<\/font> : \u00ab Si Mokhtar \u00bb est             sorti du placard, il est conseiller sp\u00e9cial du pr\u00e9sident de la             R\u00e9publique. Il a travaill\u00e9 sur ces projets : complexe sportif de             Rad\u00e9s, station touristique de Hammamet Yasmine, la Grande Mosqu\u00e9e de             Carthage, etc.                          <font>&#8211; 1995 :<\/font> \u00ab Lalla Saloua \u00bb, son \u00e9pouse             dont il est rest\u00e9 \u00e9perdument amoureux, est d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9e. Il a am\u00e9nag\u00e9, au             troisi\u00e8me \u00e9tage de sa maison de La Goulette un \u00e9mouvant mus\u00e9e             personnel en son honneur.                          &#8211; <font>samedi 21 Avril 2007 :<\/font> \u00ab Si Mokhtar \u00bb             nous quitte \u00e0 l&rsquo;\u00e2ge de 81 ans.                          Que Dieu Le Tout-puissant lui accorde son infinie mis\u00e9ricorde et             l&rsquo;accueille dans son \u00e9ternel Paradis.\u00a0                           <font><strong>(Source : le blog de Mouwaten Tounsi (Citoyen             Tunisien), le 23 avril 2007)<\/strong><\/font> <font>Lien : http:\/\/mouwatentounsi.blogspot.com\/2007\/04\/si-mokhtar-mokhtar-latiri-je-ne.html<\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<p><font size=\"3\"><strong><font>            N\u00e9crologie             <\/font>Si Mokhtar Laatiri, un des p\u00e8res de la Tunisie technique,             n\u2019est plus<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>Par : Sarra<\/font>                          Il \u00e9tait un ami de l\u2019EPT\u2026                           Si Mokhtar Laatiri s\u2019est \u00e9teint le Samedi 21 Avril apr\u00e8s une vie             pleine de r\u00e9alisations et d\u2019acquis pour la Tunisie \u00ab Technique\u00bb.                          La moiti\u00e9 des ponts de la Tunisie doivent r\u00e9pandre des larmes suite             \u00e0 la disparition de celui qui ne se s\u00e9parait jamais de sa cam\u00e9ra             toujours coll\u00e9e au cou lors de ses interminables visites sur le             terrain \u00e0 travers tout le territoire tunisien: pour photographier             les ouvrages d\u2019art, les analyser, d\u00e9celer peut \u00eatre une fissure,             optimiser, reporter et b\u00e2tir toujours de mieux en mieux. Une qu\u00eate             vers l\u2019excellence et une volont\u00e9 incroyable \u00e0 toujours apprendre (et             faire apprendre) qui n\u2019ont pris aucune ride tout au long de ses 81             ans.                          Ing\u00e9nieur dipl\u00f4m\u00e9 de l\u2019\u00c9cole Polytechnique, \u00e0 Paris (promotion             1949), puis de celle des Ponts et Chauss\u00e9es (1951), Si Mokhar est             ind\u00e9niablement l\u2019un des pionniers la Tunisie post-ind\u00e9pendance, une             Tunisie soif d\u2019acqu\u00e9rir les Sciences et les Technologies.                          P\u00e8re fondateur de l\u2019Ecole Nationale Des Ing\u00e9nieurs de Tunis (ENIT),             sans doute la doyenne des \u00e9coles d\u2019ing\u00e9nieurs en Tunisie depuis             1968, il a aussi occup\u00e9 le poste de Conseiller aupr\u00e8s de Monsieur le             Pr\u00e9sident de la R\u00e9publique et \u00e9tait membre du Conseil Consultatif             National de la Recherche Scientifique et de la Technologie.                          Si Mokhtar Laatiri restera une figure prominente dans toutes les             \u00e9coles d\u2019ing\u00e9nieurs de la Tunisie o\u00f9 il \u00e9tait souvent un intervenant             illustre dans maintes s\u00e9minaires, colloques et forums (la photo le             montre souriant comme toujours lors du Forum \u201cPortes Ouvertes\u201d de             l\u2019EPT en Novembre 2002).                          Aidant inconditionellement les EPTiens, il n\u2019h\u00e9sitait jamais \u00e0             passer sa carte de visite (avec son num\u00e9ro de portable) \u00e0 toute             personne ayant besoin de son aide avec un sourire encourageant et             une tape sur l\u2019\u00e9paule.                          Il y a juste moins d\u2019une ann\u00e9e Si Mokhtar a fait une conf\u00e9rence             intitul\u00e9e \u00ab l\u2019Ing\u00e9nieur et La Mondialisation \u00bb pour le compte des             EPTiens o\u00f9 il a m\u00eal\u00e9 \u00e9quations, philosophie, histoire et un peu de             tout dans un discours stimulant, instructif et fort agr\u00e9able que             seuls les (rares) individus de son calibre savent concocter.                          Les EPTiens doivent beaucoup \u00e0 Si Mokhtar et aujourd\u2019hui, avec             beaucoup de chagrin, ils prient Dieu le Tout-Puissant pour lui             accorder Son infinie Mis\u00e9ricorde et l\u2019accueillir dans Son \u00e9ternel             Paradis.                          <font><strong>(Source : Site de l\u2019Association des             Dipl\u00f4m\u00e9s de l\u2019Ecole Polytechnique de Tunis (ADEPT), le 22 Avril 2007             \u00e0 07:45am)<\/strong><\/font> <font>Lien : http:\/\/www.adept.org.tn\/?p=148<\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font size=\"3\"><strong><font>Edito             du Monde<\/font>             Pr\u00e9sidentielle turque<\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">                         De la d\u00e9cision du premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, de ne             pas briguer la pr\u00e9sidence de la R\u00e9publique, deux lectures sont             possibles : ou bien le chef de l&rsquo;AKP, le parti islamiste mod\u00e9r\u00e9 au             pouvoir, a c\u00e9d\u00e9 \u00e0 la pression des militaires, d\u00e9fenseurs de la             tradition la\u00efque, ou bien il a fait preuve d&rsquo;un sens du devoir qui             l&rsquo;a pouss\u00e9 \u00e0 rester au poste politiquement le plus important pour             poursuivre la politique de r\u00e9formes.                          La v\u00e9rit\u00e9 est sans doute entre les deux. L&rsquo;AKP, le Parti de la             justice et du d\u00e9veloppement, dispose d&rsquo;une majorit\u00e9 absolue \u00e0             l&rsquo;Assembl\u00e9e nationale, ce qui ne s&rsquo;\u00e9tait pas vu pour un parti turc             depuis des d\u00e9cennies. Il est donc en mesure d&rsquo;imposer son candidat \u00e0             la pr\u00e9sidence. Mais M. Erdogan, qui semble avoir beaucoup h\u00e9sit\u00e9,             n&rsquo;a pas pu \u00eatre insensible \u00e0 l&rsquo;hostilit\u00e9 de l&rsquo;arm\u00e9e et d&rsquo;une grande             partie de l&rsquo;opinion, qui s&rsquo;est manifest\u00e9e dans la rue ces derni\u00e8res             semaines. Le temps n&rsquo;est plus aux coups d&rsquo;Etat militaires dans une             Turquie qui n\u00e9gocie officiellement son entr\u00e9e dans l&rsquo;Union             europ\u00e9enne. Les g\u00e9n\u00e9raux ne restent toutefois pas confin\u00e9s dans les             casernes, malgr\u00e9 les distances prises avec la politique, \u00e0 la             demande justement des Europ\u00e9ens.                          En poussant vers la pr\u00e9sidence son bras droit, l&rsquo;actuel ministre des             affaires \u00e9trang\u00e8res, Abdullah G\u00fcl, M. Erdogan n&rsquo;en permet pas moins             \u00e0 son parti de contr\u00f4ler les principales charges de l&rsquo;Etat. Le             pr\u00e9sident sortant, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, un ancien magistrat, \u00e9tait             apparu comme un rempart contre les vell\u00e9it\u00e9s de l&rsquo;AKP de remettre en             cause la tradition la\u00efque de Kemal Atat\u00fcrk.                          Ce verrou disparu, M. Erdogan abandonnera-t-il la ligne mod\u00e9r\u00e9e             suivie jusqu&rsquo;\u00e0 maintenant pour acc\u00e9l\u00e9rer l&rsquo;islamisation de la             Turquie, apr\u00e8s une nouvelle victoire aux \u00e9lections l\u00e9gislatives de             l&rsquo;automne ? Deux obstacles se dressent sur sa route. D&rsquo;une part, une             forte proportion de Turcs restent attach\u00e9s au mode de vie             occidental, et l&rsquo;AKP ne peut pas l&rsquo;oublier, malgr\u00e9 la faiblesse de             l&rsquo;opposition politique. D&rsquo;autre part, la mise en cause radicale de             l&rsquo;Etat la\u00efc signifierait la fin de tout espoir pour la Turquie             d&rsquo;entrer un jour dans l&rsquo;UE.                          Les Turcs, m\u00eame les plus modernistes, sont certes de plus en plus             sceptiques face \u00e0 l&rsquo;Europe, mais l&rsquo;objectif de l&rsquo;adh\u00e9sion reste un             puissant moteur pour les r\u00e9formes. Aucun gouvernement turc ne peut             ouvertement y renoncer sans provoquer des cons\u00e9quences \u00e9conomiques             d\u00e9sastreuses. De plus, le parti islamiste a eu l&rsquo;habilet\u00e9 de             s&rsquo;appuyer sur les exigences europ\u00e9ennes pour limiter, au nom de la             d\u00e9mocratie, l&rsquo;intervention des militaires dans la vie politique.                          L&rsquo;Europe a donc eu un effet ambivalent. Elle a permis \u00e0 M. Erdogan             et \u00e0 ses amis d&rsquo;exercer le pouvoir, et elle a sans doute frein\u00e9             leurs ambitions. La question est de savoir si le frein n&rsquo;est pas de             plus en plus us\u00e9.                          <font><strong>(Source : \u00ab Le Monde \u00bb (Quotidien \u2013             France), le 26 avril 2007)<\/strong><\/font> \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font size=\"3\"><strong>Muslims believe US goal to             weaken Islam, poll finds<\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            Reuters, le 24 avril 2007 \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>By Michelle Nichols<\/font> <font>NEW YORK, April 24 (Reuters)<\/font> &#8211; More             than 70 percent of Egyptians, Pakistanis, Indonesians and Moroccans             believe the United States is trying to weaken and divide the Islamic             world, a poll released on Tuesday showed.             The survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org also showed more than 40             percent thought that was the primary goal of the U.S.-led war on             terrorism, while only 12 percent believed Washington&rsquo;s aim was to             protect the United States from attack. \u00ab\u00a0While U.S. leaders may frame             the conflict as a war on terrorism, people in the Islamic world             clearly perceive the U.S. as being at war with Islam,\u00a0\u00bb Steven Kull,             editor at the Washington-based group, said in a statement. The             face-to-face survey, of between 1,000 and 1,200 people in each             country from December to February, also found about 30 percent             approved of attacks on U.S. military in Iraq,             Afghanistan and the Gulf. But 60 percent said suicide bombings were             never justified and 67 percent believed Islam was opposed to attacks             against civilians.<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">                         \u00ab\u00a0Attitudes toward al Qaeda are complex. On average, only three in             ten view Osama bin Laden positively. Many respondents express mixed             feelings about bin Laden and his followers and many others decline             to answer,\u00a0\u00bb WorldPublicOpinion.org said. More than half believed al             Qaeda&rsquo;s goals included achieving a strict application of Sharia law             in every Islamic country, with more than 70 percent agreeing with             that aim. More than 50 percent believed the militant Islamist group             was pushing the United States to remove its bases and military             forces from all Islamic countries and 63 percent agreed with that             goal.             But the poll found uncertainty about whether al Qaeda was             responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.             Some 20 percent believed the U.S. government was behind the attacks.<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">                         \u00ab\u00a0On average less than one in four believes al Qaeda was responsible             for September 11th attacks. Pakistanis are the most skeptical &#8212;             only 3 percent think al Qaeda did it,\u00a0\u00bb said WorldPublicOpinion.org.             \u00ab\u00a0There is no consensus about who is responsible for the attacks on             New York and Washington; the most common answer is &lsquo;don&rsquo;t know&rsquo;.\u00a0\u00bb             More than half those surveyed believed the United States was trying             to spread Christianity in the Middle East, while nearly 60 percent             thought one of Washington&rsquo;s goals was to maintain control over the             oil resources of the Middle East.                          <font><strong>REUTERS<\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font size=\"3\"><font> <\/font><strong>Fusion Muslim chic hits Europe&rsquo;s streets<\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">            \u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>Reuters, le 25 avril 2007 \u00e0 09h05<\/font> <font>By Alexandra Steigrad<\/font>                          PARIS\/ROTTERDAM, April 25 (Reuters) &#8211; Clad in skinny jeans, wrap             dresses and carefully sculpted headscarves, a generation of young             Muslim women is making its mark on Europe&rsquo;s urban street             culture, and influencing mainstream fashion. The daughters of             migrants to Europe from Turkey or the Maghreb, these girls say they             are as conscious of style as of Islamic dress codes &#8212; and want to             fuse contemporary chic with elements of their religious and ethnic             background. \u00ab\u00a0H&amp;M and all the French stores have taken our fashion,\u00a0\u00bb             said Mahika, a 24-year-old from Paris. She sees Muslim influences in             the current trend of wearing dresses over jeans, and layering             sweaters and tops.             Shopping for clothes has become simpler, she said: young Muslim             women are now able to dress entirely from mainstream outlets if they             choose.             Many of her peers agree, although a Hennes &amp; Mauritz spokeswoman             Muslim fashion has not specifically inspired their collections. \u00ab\u00a0I             find it very easy to dress. You find all kinds of things in town. It             is about combinations and it has got easier since you see the             influence of our fashion in general fashion,\u00a0\u00bb said 20-year-old             Bushra Sayed, a student from Rotterdam. \u00ab\u00a0I am a Muslim but I am also             a person who is interested in fashion and I want to combine all             these things,\u00a0\u00bb she adds. Bushra wears a dark brown scarf wrapped             tightly around her head and neck, a dark blue shirt, a             figure-hugging grey tweed waistcoat and matching knee-length skirt             over jeans.<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">                         Bushra&rsquo;s look is a world away from the black voluminous robes and             long scarves worn by more traditional Muslim women, which completely             hide the contours of the body. \u00ab\u00a0For me it is important to cover my             body, except the hands, feet and face. And within that I can wear             whatever I want, but it should not be too tight and short,\u00a0\u00bb she said.             \u00ab\u00a0My mother, friends, and relatives are very enthusiastic and I did             not have to fight at all for my own style.\u00a0\u00bb                          <font>MUSLIM GLOSSY             <\/font>             Bushra is among five women to put together MSLM, a new glossy             fashion magazine in Dutch, French and English, aimed at             style-conscious young Muslims offering tips, for example on new ways             of covering the hair &#8212; with baseball caps, hoods or chunky knitted             scarves.             The title of the English, Dutch and French language magazine &#8212;             which the women call a \u00ab\u00a0zero issue\u00a0\u00bb or one-off for now &#8212; is a play             on the Dutch word for female Muslim, Moslima, and the clothing sizes             medium-small-large-medium. \u00ab\u00a0An increasing group of young women is             exploring the boundaries of being veiled and seductive&#8230; they             compensate the veil with figure-hugging apparel, expressive make-up             and higher             heels,\u00a0\u00bb Dutch stylist Isis Vandrager told the magazine. The women             have also organised a fashion exhibition in Rotterdam alongside the             magazine, displaying outfits made by Dutch designers with Islamic             dress codes in mind.<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">                         One dummy in the exhibition wears a black halter-neck dress, while             its back, arms and legs are concealed by a black-lace cat suit worn             beneath. \u00ab\u00a0I see Muslim girls dress in very tight-fitting clothes             these days so I thought &lsquo;why not make a cat suit?&rsquo;,\u00a0\u00bb smiled Dutch             designer Mada van Gaans. Also on show are jeans by Italian clothing             maker Al Quds, designed specifically for Muslims, with a baggy cut             and multiple pockets, making it easier to kneel for prayer and store             watches, rings or other jewellery when performing ablutions. \u00ab\u00a0It&rsquo;s             not just Muslims who are buying our jeans now. It&rsquo;s a good fashion             product, first of all. That means the spectrum of our audience is             growing,\u00a0\u00bb brand manager Susanna Cavalli said in a telephone             interview from Italy.                          <font>WIDER INFLUENCE?<\/font>                          The women behind MSLM and the show believe European Muslim street             style might even one day influence women in the Middle East &#8212; but             not yet.             \u00ab\u00a0There are Turkish girls here who wear these scarves which are just             so out there and striking &#8212; but they don&rsquo;t wear them when they go             home,\u00a0\u00bb said Natasa Heydra, of MSLM. In fact, the number of young             women at the clothing fair of an annual conference of French Muslims             in Paris shows interest in fashion trends from the Middle East and             in traditional dress is still very high.             \u00ab\u00a0It&rsquo;s both to help women dress according to Islam&rsquo;s rules, and also             to meet a demand,\u00a0\u00bb said Asmaa Buhallut on the aim of the clothing             show.             In France, a country which fiercely upholds its secular identity and             which banned the veil in schools, there are not so many Muslim             designers, she added: brands and designers from abroad use the event             to reach the French Muslim public. The array of bright coloured             clothing on display also gives women a source of inspiration.             \u00ab\u00a0What&rsquo;s trendy are bright, vibrant colours, light fabrics, and in             general, ensembles, mostly pants,\u00a0\u00bb said 18-year-old Nassima, of             Tunisian origin. Stallholder Ouslghozi Jkrom, selling traditional             dresses and             inexpensive veils, agreed. \u00ab\u00a0Popular styles this year have beadwork             and the colour is orange,\u00a0\u00bb she said. \u00ab\u00a0Really, anything flashy.\u00a0\u00bb                          (Additional reporting by Alexandra Hudson and Rachel Sanderson)                          <font><strong>REUTERS<\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/font> <\/div>\n<p> <\/font><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div> <font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"> <\/p>\n<div> <font face=\"verdana,arial,helvetica\"> <!-- ==================== Fin Corps Edito =============--><\/font> <\/div>\n<p> <\/font><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tunisnews.net\"><font face=\"Arabic Transparent\"><span><font>Home<\/font><\/span><font><span lang=\"FR-CH\"> &#8211; Accueil <\/span><span>&#8211; <\/span><\/font><\/font><span dir=\"rtl\" lang=\"AR-SA\"><font>\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629<\/font><\/span><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><\/body><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home &#8211; Accueil &#8211; \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629 \u00a0 TUNISNEWS 7\u00a0\u00e8me\u00a0ann\u00e9e, N\u00b0\u00a02528 du 25.04.2007 \u00a0archives : www.tunisnews.net Human Rights Watch :Tunisie: Lib\u00e9rer un dissident condamn\u00e9 \u00e0 de multiples reprises pour les m\u00eames faits Human Rights Watch :Letter to President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali on Daniel Zarrouk AP: Une Tunisienne \u00e0 la t\u00eate de la FIDH La Tunisienne Souheir [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[56,38,29],"class_list":["post-18641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-56","tag-38","tag-fr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}