News of the release of the three European Femen in Tunisia came up in my reader via the blog of Caroline Fourest. I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere in English (maybe I just missed it) so I thought I’d throw up a quick post since Google searches for Femen and Amina Tyler seem to bring people here on occasion.

The three members of the activist feminist group, Femen, who were being detained in Tunisia, arrived in Paris on Thursday, June 27. Two of the women, Pauline Hillier and Marguerite Stern are French nationals. The third, Josephine Markmann is from Germany.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the three women had been sentenced to a penalty of four months and one day under the First Offenders Act (avec sursis). They had been arrested for a topless demonstration in support of Amina Sbouï, also known as Amina Tyler, which occurred on Wednesday, May 29. At their sentencing, they expressed regret. Upon their return to France, they retracted the apology.

Previously, they had been sentence to four months and one day in prison ferme. This was reduced after an appeal. I have to appologize to my visitors for being unable to give a good definition of en prison ferme and avec sursis. The best I can make out is that is that the first simply means “in prison” while the second is either a deferred sentence or a form of parole. If anyone has a clearer explanation, please let me know.

According to TF1 news, Pauline Hillier said, “The conditions of detention were terrible.” “I can assure you that we’ve come back from hell.” She said that  there were “daily humiliations, hazing and deplorable hygienic conditions.”

Amina, herself a Tunisian national, remains in prison.

[Edit] There is some information in English on Taslima Nasreen’s blog.