Press freedom group conducts Tunisia visit

08/07/2008

The Committee to Protect Journalists recently visited Tunisia to evaluate the current state of press freedom in the country. Despite a refusal by state media and government officials to meet with the delegation, the group will prepare a report to convey its findings.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 08/07/08

[cpj.org] The Committee to Protect Journalists recently concluded a visit to Tunisia. The press freedom group plans to release a detailed report on its findings.

Responding to growing concerns over the decline of press freedom in Tunisia, a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recently conducted a week-long visit to the country to assess the current state of affairs.

In a statement to Magharebia, Joel Campana, a programme co-ordinator with CPJ, said that the goal of the visit was to get acquainted with the real conditions of press and freedoms in Tunisia. "We had so many concerns that the press freedom was besieged in Tunisia. We have previously issued detailed reports on a number of violations against some opposition newspapers or journalists who dared to criticise the performance of the government," he said.

Campana was accompanied by Cheryl Gould from the CPJ executive board in New York. The two met with members of the Tunisian press as well as officials from various other institutions.

The visit allowed the CPJ "to have an accurate idea on the status of press freedoms; something which confirmed our concern one more time," Campana told journalists at a press conference on July 1st.

"We were also hoping to meet with officials from the Tunisian government or with editors of government newspapers... [but] they told us that they didn't have enough time," he added.

Campana said that some newspapers such as Al Mawkif suffer from many restrictions, "including distribution and advertising. In some cases, individuals are used in these attempts, such as in filing lawsuits against the newspaper, accusing it with baseless charges."

In Tunisia, all opposition parties publish their own newspapers. Some choose an editorial line favourable to the government, while others employ a more critical, provocative approach.

The CPJ delegation met with Neji Bghouri, Secretary-General of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT), on the last day of the visit

"The SNJT is a newborn to which we are confidently looking forward, especially as the elections that were held to choose its leaders were democratic and transparent; something that indicates that it will be able to defend the rights of journalists," Campana said after the meeting.

Campana continued, "I share [Bghouri's] concerns over pressures against the SNJT, such as the attempt to establish parallel unions or pushing the Social Insurance Authority to claim old debts due on SNJT."

On June 19th, Bghouri announced what he considered a crackdown on the SNJT through the establishment of parallel unions inside some private and government media institutions. He accused the government of conspiring against his group with the help of the Tunisian General Labor Union (TGLU), which both parties have denied.

The Ministry of Communication responded in a statement issued June 20th, saying the government is observing full neutrality and the principle of dialogue with all parties, including the SNJT. "The authorities in all public media institutions, including Tunisian radio and television, don't intervene with the journalists' rights to practice their union work pursuant to the laws of the country."

According to Campana, the CPJ will continue to monitor the situation in Tunisia and will issue a report on the results of its current mission. Campana said it is unacceptable for Tunisian media to remain at the bottom of the international ladder while the country is full of competent, educated journalists.