Ahmed Rjab
Summary
Ahmed Rjab, President of the National Council of the Order of Veterinarians, was arrested on Monday 19 February 2024 at the headquarters of the National Guard Central Unit in El Aouina following a complaint filed against him by the Minister of Agriculture over a newspaper article published in Assabah on 2 January 2024, in which Professor Ahmed Rjab discussed the catastrophic health situation following the spread of a contagious disease among livestock in Tunisia, the spread of rabies, and the issue of the sanitary mandate.
Personal Information
- Name: Ahmed Rjab
- Occupation: Professor at the National University Veterinary Hospital
- Status: President of the National Order of Veterinarians
- Charge: Producing, promoting, publishing, sending or preparing news, data or rumours, under Article 24 of Decree-Law No. 54
Incidents of Violation
On Monday 19 February 2024, Professor Ahmed Rjab was summoned to the headquarters of the National Guard Central Unit in El Aouina for questioning after the Minister of Agriculture filed a complaint against him. The Public Prosecution authorised his police custody pending investigation for 48 hours, and on 21 February 2024 he appeared before the Tunis Court of First Instance, where he was released and kept at liberty. The National Council of the Order of Veterinarians considered this incident unprecedented in Tunisia's history, as never before had the head of a professional body been arrested over a newspaper article.
In the article in Assabah, Ahmed Rjab spoke about the seriousness of the spread of foot-and-mouth disease and brucellosis (Malta fever) among cattle and livestock, as well as recorded cases of rabies that caused the death of more than 400 animals and 6 people in 2023. He also stated that the official authorities concerned were keeping the matter quiet and that officials of the regional agricultural development commissions had refused to give any statement or information. He further spoke about the dangers of the indiscriminate use of medicines and pesticides for animals and plants, and of the use of smuggled and uncontrolled medicines affecting consumer safety, as well as the sanitary mandate and its problems.
Human Rights Violations
The statements made by the expert and President of the National Order of Veterinarians fall within the exercise of his right to express his opinion freely, including criticising the practices of concealment by the Tunisian State, its bodies and its ministries, and do not warrant his prosecution and appearance before the courts as a defendant accused of spreading and promoting false news. Such malicious charges, which the current authorities level against anyone who criticises them, are repressive practices aimed at violating freedom of opinion and expression. In addition, the subject of the complaint, Article 24 of Decree-Law No. 54, is a legal text whose sole purpose is to further restrict freedom of expression to the point of eliminating it, given the excessive penalties this decree-law contains. Targeting and prosecuting people on the basis of their opinions also contravenes Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Sources
The violation was documented after a phone call with the victim's lawyer and a review of the statement issued by the National Council of the Order of Veterinarians of Tunisia on 19 February 2024.