US concern for jailed Tunisians (So Much for Islamic Principles of Free Speech -- BBC Lies Again)

BBC ^ | 6 May 2005 | BBC News - World Edition

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The United States has expressed serious concern over the imprisonment of two Tunisian lawyers who publicly criticised Tunisia's government. Mohamed Abbou was jailed for comparing the treatment of Tunisian inmates to those in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.

Respecting freedom of expression was an essential element of democracy, a US state department spokesman said.

Human rights groups say the authorities tolerate no dissent and harass critics of the regime.

Jailing critics

"We are very concerned about the situation," US state department spokesman Richard Boucher said, AFP reports.

Tunisia should be abolishing laws that criminalise freedom of expression

Sarah Leah Whitson Human Rights Watch "Respect for the right to free and peaceful expression, association, assembly is an essential element of democracy."

New York-based Human Rights Watch has also called for the immediate release of Mr Abbou, who was sentenced to serve three-and-a-half years in prison last week.

"Instead of jailing critics like Mohamed Abbou, Tunisia should be abolishing laws that criminalise freedom of expression," said the organisation's Sarah Leah Whitson, who observed the trial.

Mr Abbou made the comparison to the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in an online article in August last year.

The other lawyer, Faouzi Ben M'rad, was given four months for remarks he made outside a court where he was pleading a case.

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Ping...

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Err, which bit are you saying is a lie?

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The BBC lies by omission. It continually run stories about atrocities in the Sudan, Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda and other countries without ever mentioning the fact they are being committed by Islamic governments or radical Islamist groups. They perpetuate the lie that Islam is a religion, and therefore above reproach, while denying the fact that Islam is a socio-political economic ideology no different than fascism and communism. Every time the United States or some other Western power commits some questionable act, the BBC immediately portrays it as a betrayal of our democratic or constitutional principles. It is time for the BBC and all Western media to wake up to the fact that Islam is a political force and deserves the same sort of scrutiny and exposure for what it is. The BBC is lying by not exposing the real story that Islam is a violent, racist, corrupt, totalitarian political movement.

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Yeah whatever. I thought it was probably something like that.

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Incidentally, this is a story entirely based on reporting statements from the US government. Maybe you should address your complaints to them.