Several people, mostly journalists, demonstrated in Tunis recently to denounce attacks by the
authorities on press freedom.
The demonstrators condemned the imprisonment of several journalists and the recent suspension of two media outlets, Nawaat and Inkyfada, emblematic of the democratic transition.
Participants chanted slogans in support of Tunisian press freedom, an end to the prosecution of journalists for their work, the repeal of Decree-Law 54, and the adoption of statutes for public media institutions.
“The situation for journalism in Tunisia is the worst we have seen since 2011,” Mahdi Jlassi, former president of the National Union of Journalists (SNJT), who called for the demonstration, told AFP.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented repression of press freedom and freedom of expression.” “Innocent journalists are being deprived of their rights and punished for doing their job” in “unfair trials,” he added.
“Injustice is spreading throughout the country, and it is our duty as journalists to expose this without fear,” stressed Zied Dabbar, president of the SNJT (National Union of Tunisian Journalists).
Tunisian and international NGOs have deplored a regression of rights and freedoms since President Kaïs Saïed’s power grab in July 2021. Dozens of opposition figures and civil society activists are being prosecuted under a presidential decree officially intended to combat “fake news.”
The law is “like a sword of Damocles hanging over the necks of journalists,” noted Mr. Jlassi. The protesters denounced the fact that some journalists have been deprived of their professional press cards and the suspension, since the summer, of monthly filming permits for foreign media correspondents.
They emphasise that most local and foreign journalists have been denied access to courtrooms to cover trials against politicians or media figures.
The National Union of Journalists demands respect for journalists’ right of access to the courts, the release of journalists detained for their work, their stances, and their opinions, an end to prosecutions and trials outside the framework of Decree 115, and the immediate lifting of the suspension of the news websites “Nawaat” and“Inkyfada.”
In 2025, Tunisia fell 11 places in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, dropping from 118th to 129th out of 180 countries.
AK/Sf/fss/as/APA