Athlete Somaya Bousaid’s all rights frozen for uncovering corruption
Tunisian athlete Somaya Bousaid, who was born with a visual impairment, began her sports career at a late young age but she has won many medals. Despite her successes, the Tunisian Federation of Sports for the Disabled has frozen all her rights for uncovering corruption in her video. The athlete reported she has been under pressure and faced racism for uncovering corruption.
ZİHUR EL MEŞRİQÎ
Tunisia - Tunisian Paralympian athlete Somaya Bousaid, who was born with a visual impairment, began her sports career when she was 30 years old despite all pressures on her due to both her age and physical disability. She told us that she has liked sports since her childhood and that she is proud of herself to take part in sports, where women are excluded, despite her disability. She thinks “running against a patriarchal structure” will also make women more visible.
“All my rights have been frozen for uncovering all corruptions”
Emphasizing that she does not prefer to remain silent against all kinds of injustices, Somaya Bousaid noted that she has faced pressure since she told the injustices she was subjected to in a video. In her video, Somaya Bousaid talks about corruption and injustices she has faced. She also told us that the Tunisian Federation of Sports for the Disabled has frozen all her rights for uncovering corruption in her video.
“I will not leave my country”
Somaya Bousaid has already applied to the Human Rights Committee in Tunisia and filed a criminal complaint against the federation. Somaya has demanded her rights given by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. “I have grants and rights officially given to me by the Tunisian Ministry of Youth and Sports; these are also available in the official documents,” said Somaya, who demands the promises to her to be kept. Somaya Bousaid never wants to leave her country despite all pressures she has faced, “I love my country. I will continue to wave my country's flag proudly at the Olympics, just as I did before. I will not leave my country.”
“All I want is to get a good training”
Somaya and her trainer were entitled to go to France for getting training but the country for getting training was changed as Turkey without informing her. Somaya doesn’t care about countries but all she wants is to get good training. She has received invitations from many countries until now. She thinks her country is blocked her to go to these countries for her education.
Somaya Bousaid also claims that she hasn’t received 170,000 Tunisian dinars written in her contract.