A man was
sentenced to one month in prison for breaking his fast and smoking during the
fasting month of Ramadan in Tunisia, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
Amnesty
International condemned the move as a clear violation of individual freedoms.
He was
charged with public indecency in the town of Bizerte, north-west of Tunis, for
smoking outside a courthouse.
He is the
fifth man to receive a jail sentence for breaking his fast during the holy
month.
Four men
were sentenced to one month in prison after eating in public on June 1.
“Imprisoning
someone for smoking a cigarette or eating in public is an absurd violation of
an individual’s personal freedoms.
“Failing to
conform to religious and social customs is not a criminal offence,” Heba
Morayef, North Africa Research Director at Amnesty International, said.
According to
Amnesty, there are no laws in Tunisia requiring individuals to fast or
preventing them from eating publicly during Ramadan.
During
Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar Islamic calendar, observant Muslims
abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk.
Arresting
people for eating publicly during Ramadan is not uncommon in the Arab world.
While there
no laws that ban people from eating publicly during the day in Ramadan in
Egypt, dozens are reportedly arrested every year for breaking their fast.
In 2016,
police launched a raid campaign to clamp down on cafes operating during
Ramadan.
In the
United Arab Emirates, it is against the law to eat or drink during daytime in
the holy month, where violators can face up to one month’s imprisonment.
(dpa/NAN)
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