By Ebi Kesiena
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have stated that Tunisia’s authorities are conducting a crackdown on journalists and media figures that is methodically crushing the country’s hard-won freedoms.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the rights groups stressed that authorities have intensified their repression of free speech under Decree 54, a law against “false news,” as Tunisia prepares for presidential elections at the end of the year.
“By attacking journalists and other media figures, Saied’s government is moving to put the last nail in the coffin of Tunisia’s civic space,” said Lama Fakih, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director.
The statement condemned the “undermining of the judiciary” in Tunisia. Following a sweeping power grab in 2021, President Kais Saied dismissed over 50 judges. Last year, the government began arresting political opponents and civil society figures.
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Also, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director urged the government to ensure that all Tunisians can freely express their views and that independent media can report without harassment
“Tunisian authorities are methodically annihilating the last remaining gains of the 2011 revolution: freedom of expression and the press,” he said.
Both groups called for the immediate release of detainees and the repeal of “Decree-Law 2022-54” and other laws used to criminalize free expression.
Additionally, the statement highlighted recent cases, including the sentencing of media figures Borhen Bssais and Mourad Zeghidi to one year in prison, and the nine-month sentence for the co-founder of independent media Inkyfada. It also mentioned the forceful arrest of lawyer and political commentator Sonia Dahmani, following a police raid on the Tunisian bar association headquarters.
The rights groups stated that over 70 people, including political opponents, lawyers, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and social media users have faced arbitrary prosecutions since late 2022.
While at least 40 remain detained as of May 2024, mostly for exercising internationally protected rights.
