Supreme court upholds three-year jail term for Hamma Hammami

Reporters Without Borders said it was "appalled" by the Tunisian supreme court's confirmation today of a three years and two months prison sentence for subversion imposed last March on Hamma Hammami (see photo), leader of the Tunisian Workers' Party (PCOT) and managing editor of the party newspaper El-Badil. "We are appalled by this decision, which shows the determination of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's regime to silence all opposition voices," said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. "Since the beginning, the rules for a fair trial have not been respected. The Tunisian authorities are no longer bothering with formalities where punishing opposition figures is concerned." He called on the president to "immediately and unconditionally" release Hammami, who he said had been simply exercising his right to freedom of expression. The supreme court took only a few minutes behind closed doors to reject Hammami's appeal against the March sentence. His lawyers and two foreign observers were barred from the hearing. Hammami had been sentenced on 31 March by a Tunis appeals court. Two associates, Abdeljabar Madouri and Samir Taamallah, were jailed for respectively three years and nine months and one year and nine months. They were accused of belonging to and operating an illegal organisation (the PCOT), distributing leaflets, "putting out false news," holding illegal meetings and inciting rebellion and lawbreaking. They had initially each been sentenced in absentia in 1999 to nine years and three months in prison. They came out of hiding after four years on 2 February this year when, after a show trial, their sentences were confirmed.