Tunisian journalists demonstrated on Thursday (May 18th) to denounce the government's "repressive" policy, which they say is using the judiciary to intimidate and subjugate the media. "We are journalists and not terrorists", "O magistracy to orders, fill the prisons again", "Freedom for the Tunisian press", chanted the demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT).
At the call of the SNJT, the demonstrators also protested against the sentencing on appeal to five years in prison of a journalist from the private radio station Mosaïque FM, Khalifa Guesmi, for leaking information about the security services. Under an anti-terrorism law, he was convicted of "participating in the intentional disclosure of information relating to interception, infiltration, audio-visual surveillance or data collected there," according to his lawyer.
'Lockdown and repression'
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There is a frank and clear (political) orientation towards lockdown and repression, which targets the non-submissive media," SNJT president Mahdi Jlassi said at the demonstration. "We are once again sounding the alarm against the rollback of freedoms in the country and against the prosecution of journalists, lawyers, trade unionists and others for comments or articles or even for a song."
Tunisia: two students arrested for a satirical song
Two Tunisian students were detained on Monday after a satirical song criticizing police and a law cracking down on drug use posted on social media. According to Mahdi Jlassi, about twenty journalists are being prosecuted for their work. Several local and international NGOs warned Tuesday "against the seriousness of the repressive orientation of the current government". They have repeatedly criticized a "rollback" of freedoms in Tunisia since President Kais Saied assumed full powers to himself on July 25, 2021.