The early August dissolution of Tunisia’s National Authority for Access to Information (INAI), created in 2016 to ensure transparency in public affairs, has raised alarm among NGOs and journalists.
Activists see its dissolution as another step in the erosion of democratic gains.
This symbol of the 2011 revolution has been made to disappear. The INAI—an independent body established by the organic law of March 2016 and operational since 2017—was quietly dissolved without prior announcement.
Its nine members, including a journalist, a statistician and a lawyer, had been elected by parliament to guarantee citizens and the media effective access to public data.
Its staff have since been reassigned to government offices. But for civil society organisations, the move represents a worrying setback.
“Access to information is becoming increasingly restricted,” warned Zied Dabbar, president of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT). “You cannot speak of press freedom without access to information. From now on, only official versions will circulate, which will result in propaganda.”
Since its creation, the INAI had processed thousands of requests, forcing administrations to respond to inquiries from citizens and reporters. It was considered one of the cornerstones of public transparency, alongside the electoral authority and the anti-corruption body—both of which have also been weakened in recent years.
In a statement, the SNJT denounced what it called a “dangerous violation of the right to information,” describing the dissolution as “the demolition of one of the fundamental pillars of the country’s democratic framework.”
Since July 25, 2021—when President Kaïs Saïed suspended Parliament and consolidated both executive and legislative powers—Tunisia has seen a steady rollback of public freedoms. The closure of the INAI adds to a series of measures undermining institutional independence, including the weakening of the High Judicial Council and tighter control over the media.
Local and international NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have already condemned what they describe as an authoritarian drift. The abolition of the INAI underscores this trend: authorities are opting for opacity, dismantling checks and balances that once anchored Tunisia’s democracy in concrete practices of transparency.
For Tunisian journalists, deprived of a legal instrument that guaranteed access to public records, the situation is critical. Investigations into state finances, the management of the economic crisis, or public contracts are now effectively hampered. “Without INAI, we no longer have an independent recourse,” said one Tunisian reporter.
This tightening of the public space leaves only official communications visible, fueling the impression of a return to pre-2011 practices.
MK/sf/lb/as/APA