International news briefs: Tunisia; Iraq

Tunisian activists jailed

Fathi Chamki, president of the RAID (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions to Assist Citizens, Tunisia), Mohamed Chourabi, member of the RAID and Iheb Heni were arrested and jailed on April 8 in Soliman.

Facing court without a lawyer, they were charged with: spreading false information in order to disturb public order; defamation against the government; maintaining an unrecognised organisation (RAID); and calling for a citizen uprising. These charges carry penalties of up to 13-year prison terms. Demonstrations protesting against the arrests were held on April 19 and 20 in front of Tunisian embassies in Paris, Dakar, Casablanca, Montreal, Brussels, Geneva and Lyon.

Send letters demanding that the three activists be freed immediately, all charges against them be dropped, RAID be legalised and the persecution of its members end to: M. Abdallah Kallel, Ministere de l'interieur, Avenue Habib Bourguiba 1001 Tunis, fax 00216-1-340.888, email <mint@ministeres.tn>; and M. Bchir Takkari, Ministere de la justice, 31 Boulevard Bab Bnet 1006 Tunis, fax 00216-1-568.106, email <mju@ministeres.tn>. Send copies to <raid.rhone@attac.org>.

US-British raids on Iraq

The almost daily air attacks against Iraq by US and British war planes, in the country's north and south, have resulted in the deaths of 295 people and 860 others injured since December 17, 1998.

Lieutenant-General Yassin Jasem, spokesperson for the Iraqi anti-aircraft defences told reporters on April 20 that most of the casualties were civilians. A week earlier air raids killed 15 and wounded 18 in southern Iraq.

The US-British enforced northern and southern "no-fly zones" were imposed after the 1991 Gulf War to "protect" Muslim Shi'ites in the south and Kurds in the north.

From GLW issue 403