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Qatar is Holding Tunisian media veteran Mahmoud Bouneb for the past 2 years

Tunis, 26 September 2013 The Qatari Authorities continue, for over 730 days, to unlawfully impose a travel ban on Tunisian media veteran Mahmoud Bouneb, former Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel and Baraem TV despite his innocence of any criminal actions during his 8 years heading the Channels. Since the abrupt and unjustified termination of his employment on 27 September 2011, Mahmoud Bouneb and two other colleagues, his wife Malika Alouane and Financial Controller Haitham Qudaih, are subjected to severe violations of their civil and employment rights. They are not allowed to leave Qatar to visit their family, their medical coverage was cancelled and they are deprived from any income to fulfil their dues and family obligations. Moreover, the employer is holding back their end of service benefits. The Qatari Authorities continue to act totally indifferent towards the international appeals made by Bounebs support committee in Tunisia and Switzerland and those of Human Rights Organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, to lift the travel ban under the pretext that the case is now in the Qatari Courts. Furthermore, The Qatari Authorities overlooked the findings by two major Audits appointed by the General Prosecutor. After 9 months of thorough investigations, the State Audit Bureau which is the highest public financial controller in Qatar and Ernst & Young had totally cleared Bouneb along with 10 of his colleagues from any crime or suspected actions. Both audits resulted to similar conclusions disclaiming all the allegations deliberately raised in October 2011 by Al Jazeera Childrens Channel in an internal audit report prepared by Qatar Foundation which was the owner of JCC and Baraem TV. The conclusion cited in Ernst & Youngs report presented in October 2012 to Qatar General Prosecution is as follows: According to the foregoing, the committee concludes that what was possible to note from the inspection was that there are some administrative misconducts. However, there is no way to say that the Channels employees, whose names appear in the claim, have committed any embezzlement crimes or harmed intentionally the Channel funds. Yet these findings were overlooked, and the General Prosecution of Qatar, in December 2012, pressed criminal charges under baseless accusations against Bouneb and his two colleagues. The court hearing began on 5 February 2013 to be followed by three other hearings only for Al Jazeera Childrens Channels lawyers to repeatedly obstruct the court proceedings by overtly denying and refusing the different Auditors findings resulting to some unreasonable adjournments of the witnesses testimonies. The next court hearing is set for 5 November 2013. It is evident that the unlawful allegations by Al Jazeera Childrens Channel & Qatar Foundation had caused extreme prejudice to Bouneb, his colleagues and their family members. The Qatari Authorities have turned a blind eye to this out-loud injustice and the violations of their basic human and civil rights putting them under further austere psychological and financial pressure. The National Support Committee vigorously condemns the continued siege of Mahmoud Bouneb in Qatar as well as the flagrant violations of his rights. It requests the Qatari Authorities to immediately remove the travel ban imposed on Bouneb and his two colleagues for the past 2 years, as this will not prevent the Court from moving on with its regular proceedings. 1

We appeal to the highest authority in the State of Qatar to reverse the course of the injustice brought upon Bouneb, allow him his dues and compensations for the serious damage incurred to him and his family. The Committee holds both at Al Jazeera Childrens Channel and Qatar Foundation liable and fully responsible for the abuse and harm they instigated on Bouneb, his colleagues and their families. In a country of law, the persons behind such aberrant violations are held strictly accountable. Furthermore, the Committee appeals to the Tunisian President, the Head of Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as to the Civil Society and the International Human rights Organizations to immediately address this matter with the Qatari Authorities in order to rightly resolve this limbo, to bring Bouneb back home as soon as possible, to preserve his civil and labour rights and to defend his professional integrity for which he has always been credited both in his home country and Internationally. Mahmoud Bouneb had spent over 12 years in Qatar of which 8 years as Executive General Manager of Al Jazeera Childrens Channel & Baraem TV and a member in its executive board. Under his management, both Channels bagged over 50 international award and recognition. All along his career of many years serving in the media public sector in Canada, Netherlands, and Switzerland or else in Qatar, Bounebs professional integrity was never jeopardized. He was always attributed with honesty, competency and proficiency.

On Behalf of The Support Committee of Mahmoud Bouneb who is held in Qatar unjustly. Nejiba Hamrouni, Head of the Committee
For more information, please contact: 1. Ms. Nejiba Al-Hamrouni, Chairperson of The National Union for Tunisian Journalists and, Head of the Support Committee of Mahmoud Bouneb. +216 98650434 2. Mr. Ayman Rezgui, Member of the Executive Office of the Union & Member in the Support Committee. +216 94628449 3. Maitre. Saida Garrach, Bounebs Lawyer based in Tunisia. +216 20575109 4. Mr. Faycal Al-Hassairi, Producer/Director & Member in the Support Committee of Mahmoud Bouneb. +216 21679388 https://www.facebook.com/friendsMB http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/30/qatar-abolish-exit-visas-migrant-workers http://www.hrw.org/ar/news/2013/05/30-0 http://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2013/05/30/qatar-il-faut-abolir-les-visas-de-sortie-requis-pour-les-travailleurs- migrants https://www.facebook.com/friendsMB#!/photo.php?fbid=281327775338205&set=a.206813139456336.55682.20676 4612794522&type=1&theater www.ibanet.org/Article/Detail.aspx?ArticleUid=868bd7c2-aceb-4b51-9ec1-55f79f29f12f