Tunisia

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is an 18 May 2005 IFEX-TMG letter to European Union Ambassador to Tunisia R.D. Rahman: Ambassador Mme Drs R.D. Rahman Royal Embassy of the Netherlands Boîte Postale 47 1082 Cité Mahrajane Tunis Tunisia 18 May 2005 Your Excellency, The Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) of free expression organisations is concerned that the […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is 13 May 2005 IFEX-TMG letter to Tunisian Interior and Local Development Minister Rafik Belhaj Kacem: M. Rafik Belhaj Kacem Ministre de l’intérieur et du développement local Tel.: +216 71 333 000 Fax: +216 71 340 880 or 216 71 340 888 e-mail: mint@ministeres.tn 13 May 2005 Dear Minister, We are […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is a joint declaration by members of the IFEX-TMG: IFEX members call on Tunisian government to stop harassing Lotfi Hajji Freedom of expression organisations are calling on the Tunisian authorities to halt their harassment of Lotfi Hajji, President of the small independent Tunisian Journalists’ Syndicate (SJT). He was summonsed again to […]

(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 9 May 2005 IFJ media release: IFJ Condemns Harassment of Journalists’ Leaders in Tunisia After They Speak Out For Press Freedom The International Federation of Journalists today condemned the Tunisian authorities for “intimidation and harassment” after journalists’ leaders in the country were taken to task by the country’s intolerant […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is an 8 May 2005 press release by members of the IFEX-TMG: On behalf of the members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange – Tunisia Monitoring Group, Tunis World Press Freedom Day, 5-8 May 2005 Four groups from the 13-member Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) – Index on Censorship, the International […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned a “mockery of a trial” in which lawyer Mohammed Abbu was found guilty of posting “false news” on the Internet. The organisation urged democratic countries to boycott the November 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis unless the government ends its Internet crackdown and releases Abbu. On […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 22 April 2005, journalist Hamadi Jebali was transferred to Mahdia prison. Three days later, he ended his hunger strike. “We learned of Hamadi Jebali’s transfer and the improvement of his prison conditions. However, despite these positive developments, the only satisfactory conclusion to this case would be the journalist’s unconditional release, as we’ve […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is a joint declaration by members of the IFEX-TMG: The Tunisian authorities are asked to investigate the treatment of Lotfi Hajji, President of the Independent Syndicate of Tunisian journalists, who had 15 books unjustly confiscated on his arrival at Tunis airport on 25 April. The books should be returned to him […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is a joint declaration by members of the IFEX-TMG: Tunisian authorities should immediately take action to save the life of imprisoned journalist Hamadi Jebali, who has been on hunger strike since 9 April to protest the lack of medical care and the inhumane and degrading treatment inflicted on him for nearly […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 9 April 2005, journalist Hamadi Jebali started another hunger strike. He has been jailed since 1991. “We are concerned about Hamadi Jebali’s deteriorating health. He is getting weaker with each successive hunger strike. It is deplorable that he is not given the food brought for him by his wife. Once again, we […]

(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an RSF letter to Oliver Sichel, the director general of the Wanadoo Internet company: Dear Mr. Sichel, We have learned with amazement that the company you head will, in the coming days, announce the launch of a strategic partnership with the Tunisian Internet operator Planet. We are perfectly aware that […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is an IFEX-TMG press release: Zouhair Yahyaoui: human rights defender It is with a sense of shock and profound sadness that we have received news of the departure of Zouhair Yahyaoui, a genuine fighter for human rights and freedom of expression. Zouhair was the founder and editor of the satirical website […]

(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has called for the release of lawyer Mohammed Abu, who was arrested in Tunis on 1 March 2005 for posting an article online dealing with the torture of political prisoners in Tunisia. “We would like to remind President Ben Ali that he approved the final statement of the last UN summit on […]

(RSF/IFEX) – On 1 March 2005, Tunisia, host of the November 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), blocked access to the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) website. The move places the PDP site on a long list of filtered sites, including http://www.radionongrata.org, the website set up by RSF to report on the summit. […]

(RSF/IFEX) – Journalist Abdallah Zouari, of the banned Islamist weekly “Al-Fajr”, now in his 33rd day of a hunger strike in protest over an internal banishment order, was dismissed from hospital late on 23 February 2005 by the same cardiologist who had ordered his admission hours before. Zouari, who needs daily medical monitoring because of […]

(IFEX-TMG) – The following is an IFEX-TMG press release: Tunisia: Freedom of Expression under Siege International freedom of expression organisations today expressed grave concern about the poor state of freedom of expression in Tunisia, host country for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which is to be held in Tunis in November 2005. […]