Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion and expression.

Articles 18 & 19, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

TUNISIA: Jabeur Mejri

Jabeur Mejri logged onto Facebook during the first day or two of March 2012. He posted a picture of the prophet Mohamed and published articles critical of Islam. Punishment was quick. Lawyers saw the posts and filed a complaint. Police officers arrested Jabeur Mejri on 5 March 2012. Authorities charged him with harming or insulting others through public telecommunication networks, attacking sacred values through actions or words and undermining public morals. By the end of March, he had begun serving a sentence of seven-and-a-half years in Mahdia prison. International human rights law protects the act of expressing ideas that some people think are offensive. The ability to criticize religious and other beliefs and ideas is a vital component of the right to freedom of expression. While Jabeur Mejris posts may have offended some Muslims, they non-violently reflected his views. Amnesty International considers 29-year-old Jabeur Mejri to be a prisoner of conscience, held for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of opinion and expression. Jabeur Mejri is not the first to be persecuted under Articles 121(3) and 226 of the Penal Code and Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code. Since 2011, Tunisian authorities have used the Codes to restrict freedom of expression for journalists, artists and bloggers, among others. Please ask the president of Tunisia to free Jabeur Mejri.

Jabeur Mejri is serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence for creating Facebook posts that expressed his views of religion Private

Activate your pens and your keyboards! Please write a letter to Tunisias president. Start with Your Excellency. Describe who you are and what concerns you about the imprisonment of Jabeur Mejri only for peacefully using his right to freely express his views. Ask the president to release Jabeur Mejri without delay or any conditions on his freedom. Send your letter to: Prsident Moncef Marzouki * Palais Prsidentiel Tunis Tunisie Postage: $1.85 Fax: 011 216 71 744 721 Email: box@pm.gov.tn Please make a copy for: His Excellency Riadh Essid Ambassador for Tunisia 515 OConnor Street Ottawa, Ontario K1S 3P8 Postage : $.63 Fax: (613) 237-7939 Email: etottawa@ipandp.com

* Note of interest: President Marzouki used to head the Tunisian League of Human Rights and was himself a POC in 1994.

What else can I do? Jabeur Mejris family says he is dispirited and is feeling lonely and forgotten. Send him a greeting. Apart from religious cards, any kind of message is fine. You may mention Amnesty International and you may include your return address. Tell him about your community, your family, your activities. Tell him that you are thinking of him on Human Rights Day. Or write this in your own words: I stand in solidarity with you as a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned only for exercising your right to freedom of expression. Mail your message with $1.85 postage to: Jabeur Mejri Prison civile de Mahdia Route de Chiba 5100

Mahdia, Tunisie

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