Talking with friends about my time in Tunisia now that I’m safely at home in the US, people keep asking me whether I was worried about my safety. The answer is an unambigious “no”. In most repressive societies, it’s not the outside agitators who are likely to be directly threatened by security forces, but the citizens of the country they meet with.
Ben Walker, blogger, radio producer and friend, has an account of an evening he spent in Tunis with my friends Hossein Derakshan, Nart Villeneuve and some new Tunisian friends. The evening ended very badly for the Tunisians, who found themselves detained by security forces, who may have been following Nart and Hossein. His account has me more than a little worried for the Tunisians we met with during the course of our workshops.
Rebecca had a significantly more pleasant night in Tunisia on Friday, attending a blogger dinner held by our friends Subzero Blue and Aqua Cool. I really wish I’d been with them, rather than spending Friday night on the tarmac of the Tunis airport (our plane had mechanical trouble…) Marwen (Subzero) also has a great account of the evening with some photos.
Amnesty International has issued a statement about the WSIS:
As delegates at the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) signed on to the Tunis Commitment, reaffirming their support for human rights, Amnesty International said important lessons must be learned from the host government’s failure to uphold these rights before and during the Summit, held in Tunis this week. The organization said the very legitimacy of the Summit and its outcome had been put in question by the interference of the Tunisian authorities, and no UN-sponsored summit should ever again be held under such oppressive conditions.
Loved the photos on Marwens blog. Sounds and looks liek you all had a great time.
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