CPJ submits reports on Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco to United Nations Universal Periodic Review
The human rights records of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco are under review by the United Nations Human Rights Council through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This U.N. mechanism is a peer-review process that surveys the human rights performance of member states, monitoring progress from previous review cycles, and presents a list of recommendations on how a…
Journalists tell CPJ how Tunisia’s tough new constitution curbs their access to information
When a CPJ researcher sat down with Lotfi Hajji, Tunisia bureau chief of Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera at a coffee shop in Tunis in July, we noticed that a man sitting directly behind us was recording our conversation on his phone. When we stood up to take a selfie with him in the background, the man…
Tunisian authorities arrest journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa for alleged terrorism
New York, September 7, 2022–Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa and cease detaining members of the press on vague national security grounds, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, September 6, state security officers arrested Ben Khelifa, editor-in-chief of the local independent newspaper Inhiyez, at his home in…
Tunisian journalist Salah Attia sentenced to 3 months in prison
New York, August 17, 2022 – A Tunisian military court in the capital Tunis on Tuesday, August 16, sentenced journalist Salah Attia, founder and editor-in-chief of local independent news website Al-Ray al-Jadid, to three months in prison, according to news reports and Sondes Attia, the journalist’s daughter, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. The…
Journalist Salah Attia detained in Tunisia since June arrest
New York, August 12, 2022 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Salah Attia and ensure that journalists in the country can work without the threat of imprisonment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On June 11, plainclothes security officers arrested Attia, founder and editor-in-chief of local independent news website Al-Ray al-Jadid, from…
Tunisian authorities detain Mosaique FM correspondent Khalifa Guesmi over terrorism article
New York, March 21, 2022 – Tunisian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Khalifa Guesmi and stop intimidating journalists into revealing their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On March 17, Guesmi, a correspondent at local independent radio station and news website Mosaique FM, published an article about the dismantling of a…
Tunisia’s media regulator shuts down Nessma TV and al-Quran al-Kareem radio station over licensing issues
New York, October 27, 2021 – Tunisian authorities should allow Nessma TV and al-Quran al-Kareem radio station to resume broadcasting immediately and stop using the country’s licensing procedures as a means of censorship, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 11, the High Independent Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), Tunisia’s media regulatory…
Tunisian authorities arrest Zaytouna TV host Amer Ayad, confiscate channel’s equipment
New York, October 7, 2021 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Amer Ayad, drop all charges against him, and allow ZaytounaTV to resume its work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 3, Tunisian police arrested Ayad, a talk show host for privately owned channel Zaytouna TV, at his home…
Demonstrators and security forces harass, obstruct journalists covering Tunisia protests
On July 25 and 26, 2021, protestors and security forces in Tunis, Tunisia, assaulted and harassed at least six journalists covering demonstrations, according to news reports, journalists who spoke to CPJ and posted their experiences on social media, and a statement by the National Syndicate of Tunisian journalists (SNJT), a local trade union. The journalists…
Tunisian authorities raid Al-Jazeera bureau amid political turmoil
New York, July 26, 2021 – In response to news reports that Tunisian security forces today stormed Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera’s Tunis bureau, ordered staff to leave the building, confiscated equipment, and barred staff from returning, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s raid by Tunisian security forces on Al-Jazeera’s bureau jeopardizes the…