FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2006
Two and a half months after her participation in a January 2006 American Enterprise Institute (AEI) conference about the urgent need for democratic reform in the greater Middle East, Tunisian democracy activist Neila Charchour Hachicha is the subject of persistent harassment by Tunisian authorities. Her husband was sentenced this week to ten months in prison on accusations that appear to have no legal basis, she was called in for four hours of questioning, police have been stationed outside her house to write down all visitors’ license plates, her car has been confiscated, her internet connection has been severed, and her daughter has been threatened.
The battle for democracy demands a high price of its champions, but their number continues to proliferate. On Friday, March 31, other Middle East reformers from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen will gather for the second installment of the AEI series “Dissent and Reform in the Arab World.” The January participants detailed the repressive measures used to stifle democracy in their countries, and offered concrete suggestions for reform. Participants in this second conference in the series will highlight reform efforts in their home countries and the existing support from abroad. Among the topics covered will be the Hamas government elected in Palestine, religious conflict in Iraq and Hezbollah’s threat to Lebanon.
For more information about the March 31 conference (as well as information about registration) please click here.
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For media inquiries, please contact Véronique Rodman, at vrodman@aei.org or (202) 862-4870.
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