Volker Turk, the United Nations human rights chief had on Friday, June 24 warned Tunisia to stop regulating the freedom of the media as it was an act of criminalizing independent journalism. This act had reportedly began when President Kais Saied seized wide powers in 2021.
Recall that freedom of speech and media had been the principal gains for Tunisians, after the 2011 revolution had deposed autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and prompted the Arab Spring protests.
Unfortunately, in 2023, the hard-won victory is now gravely threatened under Saied’s rule.
According to the UN Chief, the clampdown earlier in the year against Justices, politicians, labour leaders, businesspeople and civil society actors had now spread out to target independent journalists, who are progressively being harassed and prevented from doing their jobs
Due to these harassments, several journalists and activists had staged a protest last month against their freedom being limited and the ‘numerous’ trials targeting journalists and bloggers.
According to Turk, since July 2021, the Tunisian United Nation Human Rights Office in Tunisia has detailed at least 21 cases of reported human rights violations against journalists.
“I urge Tunisia to change course,” he had commented.
The act of simply being free in Tunisia, has now become a long lost dream since the 2011 revolution, as several bloggers and journalists are presently trial because of them critiquing the authorities. This is a fact that the main National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists has affirmed to.
There is an ongoing theory that the state television is now a propaganda
It says state television has become a propaganda organ for Saeid and all his opponents are banned from participating in its programmes.
Saied has meanwhile, denied the accusations that he is suppressing the freedom of Tunisians.
