[EN] Citizens' Summit on the Information Society launches website and calls for support in the face of political pressure

[Meryem Marzouki <Meryem.Marzouki@iris.sgdg.org>]

Dear all,

Please find hereafter the text of the press release published today by 
the organizers of the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society 
(CSIS), to be held in Tunis on November 16-18, 2005.
Political pressure has already started, in an attempt to block the 
holding of the Citizens' Summit. All relevant information can be found 
on CSIS website: www.citizens-summit.org

Meryem Marzouki
HR Caucus Co-chair

===============
Citizens' Summit on the Information Society (CSIS)
Tunis, November 16-18, 2005

Citizens' Summit on the Information Society launches website
and calls for support in the face of political pressure

CSIS Press release - November 10, 2005

The Citizens' Summit on the Information Society (CSIS), to be held in 
Tunis, on November 16-18, 2005, launched its website today with a call 
for solidarity and support. The CSIS is planned as a civil society side 
event of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) but it is 
facing repeated obstructions in its efforts to secure a suitable venue 
in Tunisia.

The CSIS builds on a long tradition of civil society events linked to 
United Nations conferences. More than 80 international civil society 
organizations and coalitions have pledged their support and plan to 
take part in the three-day Citizens Summit, but a venue previously 
confirmed for the event was withdrawn at the last minute for reasons 
that CSIS organisers believe to be in response to political pressure 
from the Tunisian government.

While efforts continue to secure a venue for the main event, the CSIS 
organisers are inviting civil society organisations to hold their own 
complementary activities and events under the CSIS banner. These 
activities may be held elsewhere in Tunis, in other Tunisian cities, in 
other countries, or may even be virtually organized on the Internet. 
These activities may take various forms, such as panels, conferences 
and campaigns. They may be held inside or outside the official WSIS 
site and may therefore include already planned WSIS parallel events.

Registering an activity under the CSIS banner is a simple way to show 
solidarity with the CSIS and its objectives, even for people and 
organizations that cannot be present in Tunis during WSIS. Activities 
under the CSIS banner will be announced on the CSIS website where event 
organizers can find all the relevant information needed to register 
their event. The website will also carry further news on the location 
and venue for the main CSIS event.

Contact:
Expressions of support, registration of activities: 
support@citizens-summit.org
Press enquiries: press@citizens-summit.org
General contact, questions: contact@citizens-summit.org

Website: www.citizens-summit.org

Preliminary list of CSIS supporters :

ACS (Assemblea per la Comunicació Social)
AEL (Association des Ecrivains Libres)
AFTURD (Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche et le 
Développement)
ALTT (Association de Lutte contre la Torture en Tunisie)
AMARC (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters)
ANAR (Amicale Nationale des Anciens Résistants)
ANND (Arab NGO Network for Development)
APC (Association for Progressive Communications)
ARTICLE 19 (Global Campaign for Free Expression)
ATFD (Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates)
Café 93.5 FM (Emisora Comunitaria Café 93.5 FM en Líbano-Tolima, 
Colombia)
CAFEC (Centre Africain d'Échange Culturel)
Canal Mont Sion et Television (Radio Communautaire en République 
Démocratique du Congo)
CEFEPROD (Centre Féminin pour la Promotion du Développement)
CEPRA (Centro de Educación y Producción Radiofónica)
CHRI (Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative)
CJFE (Canadian Journalists for Free Expression)
CMIC (Carrefour Mondial de l'Internet Citoyen)
CMF MENA (Center for Media Freedom, MENA)
CMRTV (Conseil Mondial de Radio-Télévision)
CNLT (Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie)
Comunica-ch (WSIS Swiss Civil Society Coalition)
Conjugaison (Analyse des pratiques, audit, soutien aux TPE)
CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility)
CRIS Campaign (Communication Rights in the Information Society)
DemocracyInAction
DOKHTARAK (Iranian Women Press)
EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center)
EUROMED NGO Platform
FIDH (International Federation of Human Rights Leagues)
FMA (Foundation for Media Alternatives)
FM Vida 87.9 (Radio FM Vida 87.9 San Justo, La Matanza, Pcia de BUenos 
Aires, Argentina)
FrontLine (International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights 
Defenders)
FURENDES (Networks & Development Foundation)
GreenNet
Heinrich Boell Foundation
HIVOS (Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking)
HR Caucus (WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus)
HRW (Human Rights Watch)
ICHRDD (Rights and Democracy)
ID21
IMS (International Media Support)
Index on Censorship
IPA (International Publishers Association)
IP Justice
IRIS (Imaginons un Séseau Internet Solidaire)
ISOC-PS (Palestine Chapter of the Internet Society)
IteM (Instituto del Tercer Mundo)
IuRe (Iuridicum remedium)
KDUN (The NGO Committee for a democratic UN)
LTDH (Ligue Tunisienne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme)
MISA (Media Institue of Southern Africa)
NETHICS e.V. (Ethics in the Net)
Norwegian PEN
OCINC (Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ)
OLPEC (Observatoire pour la Liberté de Presse, d'Edition et de Création)
OMCT (World Organization against Torture)
People Who
Periódico Periferia (Periódico de Colombia)
PPP (Bread for All)
RAID-ATTAC (Rassemblement pour une Alternative de Développement)
RECORRA (Red Colombiana de Radio Comunitaria)
RITS (Rede de Informações para o Terceiro Setor)
RSF (Reporters without Borders)
SJT (Syndicat des Journalistes Tunisiens)
TEBTEBBA (Indigenous Peoples' International Center for Policy Research 
and Education)
TERTULIA (Colectivo Tertulia de Medios y Apoyo a Telesur en Colombia)
TINKU (Medio de información alternativa)
TWM (Third World Majority)
TWMN (Third World Media Network)
UBUNTU (World Forum of Civil Society Network)
UEA (Universala Esperanto-Asocio)
UNA-DK (The Danish United Nations Association)
VECAM
Verité-Action
VOICE (Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment)
WAN (World Association of Newspapers)
WITNESS
WPFC (World Press Freedom Committee)