CNLT Condemns the Violation of the Lawyers’ Rights

In a statement released on December 16th, 2010, the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT) expressed its concern as to the increase of the attacks on the lawyers ‘rights in recent times. In its statement, the CNLT mentioned the attack on the lawyer Samir Ben Amor, which happened on November 30th, 2010 during the latter’s visit to his customer in the Prison of Messaadine in Sousse.
They also mentioned the last week attack on the former president of the Bar Mr. Béchir Essid in the prison of La Mornaguia.
The CNLT also condemned the wire-tapping on the lawyers and their customers, mentioning the letter addressed by the Prosecutor attached to the direction of Judicial Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Riadh Belkadhi, to the Republic Prosecutor attached to the Trial Court of Sousse.
He was asking him to add the reports prepared by the General Directions of Prisons concerning some lawyers and their customers to the investigation file of a pending case.
From the horse's mouth, our previous article on these two confidential reports caused a kind of turmoil in the Justice Department.
Its officials have since been trying to laboriously explain that the ware-tapping on lawyers and their customers are just isolated practices attributable to some of the prison guards.
The Justice Ministry, however, did not yet formally respond to the letter about the wire-tapping carried on lawyers sent by the president of the Bar Abderrazzak Kilani.