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LONDON, Nov 9 (AFP) - Some 600 political prisoners have been released in Tunisia to mark the 12th anniversary of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's accession to power, the human rights group Amnesty International announced Tuesday.
"These releases could hopefully symbolize the beginning of a new era if they are followed by significant measures to change human rights practices," Amnesty said.
Tunisian authorities announced Friday it would reduce or cancel the sentences of 3,113 prisoners without giving specific details of who would benefit from the amnesty.
The majority of the 600 released Monday were alleged members of the Islamic al-Nahda movement sentenced to long prison terms. A small number were militants from the Tunisian Communist Workers Party, according to Amnesty.
But the human rights group noted that some 1,000 political prisoners convicted in "unfair" judicial processes remained in detention.
It also expressed its concern that the releases were conditional.
"Those released could be re-arrested at any time upon the decision of the ministry of the interior. Moreover, all Islamist prisoners released are reportedly subject to administrative control, a measure which often requires them to register daily in a police station," Amnesty said.
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