The house of the Tunisian journalist and blogger Zied el-Heni has been raided last night (April 10, 2009). In a […]
Interview with Robert Guerra about the Freedom on the Net Index
A new report on Internet freedom was launched by Freedom House, an organization which monitors freedom around the world. The “Freedom on the Net” study surveyed 15 countries on the basis of two key components: access to Web and mobile technology and the free flow of information through it. The report covered events that took place in the years 2007 and 2008, identifying new emerging threats to Internet freedom.
Freedom on the Net Index: Tunisia ranked worst, behind Cuba
Since traditional media are censored and tightly controlled by the government, the internet has been used as a relatively free and uncensored means of airing political and social opinions, and as an alternative field for public debates on serious political issues. This uncontrolled freedom of expression has led to the creation of an extensive censorship and filtering system.
Tunisian president calls criticism “unbecoming”
During his address to the nation on the anniversary of Tunisia’s independence on March 20, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali did not hesitate to reject critical journalism and the right of journalists to cover corruption or mistakes by the government. As customary, local groups concerned with press freedom, including the Tunisian Observatory for Press Freedom and the Tunisian Journalists’ Syndicate, hesitated
CPJ presses Tunisia on poor press freedom record
The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you on the eve of the 53rd anniversary of Tunisia’s independence from France to end an ongoing cycle of repression of critical journalists and media outlets. We ask that you abide by the commitment you have made repeatedly since coming to power in 1987 to promote freedom of expression. The last time […]
Freedom on the global Internet still a pipe dream
So begins the annual “Internet Enemies” report by Reporters Without Borders–and that’s probably the cheeriest line in the entire 39-page […]
Tunisia’s bloggers defy state censors
Foreign tourists know Tunisia for its sunny beaches, ancient ruins and one of the Arab world’s most liberal societies. But for Tunisians, life is a daily tiptoe through a minefield of political taboos enforced by a vast security apparatus and heavily censored media. Now the country’s drive to embrace the internet is giving Tunisians an unexected new outlet to challenge authority.
Lutfi Hajji: Tunis does not tolerate independent media
In the past few weeks, Tunisian authorities have tightened their grip on independent media. Among the government actions have been […]
Tunisia: Appeal Court entrenches injustice by upholding unfair convictions
Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of trade union leaders and all those imprisoned for peacefully exercising […]
North Africa: are political websites more likely to get hacked?
Political opposition websites in North African countries, particularly in Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, are becoming a primary target of hackers. This new phenomenon of defacing opposition and dissident websites emerged first in Tunisia, where at least 14 websites and blogs were targeted between 2007 and 2008, and seems to be spreading across the region as a result of the attempt to muzzle free […]
Online censorship protest turns into debate among Tunisian bloggers
Tunisians mounted a new online protest on December 25th, inviting bloggers to publish a blank post signifying censorship. Critics say […]
Tunisie : Les droits de l’homme tunisien torturent Sarko
« L’espace des libertés progresse. » C’était le jugement de Sarko en visite à Tunis, en avril dernier. Visiblement, notre […]
Les marges désobéissantes : Vraies accoucheuses du changement !
Tout, ou presque, a été dit sur le mouvement social du bassin minier de Gafsa… Tout, sauf l’essentiel. Cette assertion peut paraître, pour certains, provocatrice, voire même arrogante. Mais il n’en est rien. Elle est le résultat d’un constat objectif aussi douloureux que navrant !
Furor Over Tunisian Blog Awards Censorship
The Tunisian blogosphere is up in arms over this year’s annual Tunisian Blog Awards. They accuse organizers of soliciting the […]
You, too, can defeat cruel dictators online
The extensive palace complex of Tunisia’s septuagenarian dictator, President Zine el-Abidine ben Ali, for example, is off limits to his citizens. Anyone caught taking photographs of the vast complex are likely to be arrested. But cyberspace is beyond President ben Ali’s reach. There his palace is besieged by human rights activists.
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia prevent journalists, activists from attending event in Beirut
Four journalists and rights activists from Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia were prevented by their governments from traveling to Beirut to attend a regional forum on Arab press freedom on Friday. Over 160 journalists, bloggers, publishers, editors and press freedom advocates […]
Tunisian trade union leader on trial for role in protests
4 December 2008. A trade union leader and 37 others face trial in Tunisia on Thursday, accused of fomenting unrest […]
History Is Not the Past
Submitted by Suffet De Carthage : That history is not a thing of the past is a general truth, of which I simply want to remind the reader. History is not the tale of bygone days, but the present we dwell in.11 It is part and parcel of a nation; it constitutes its memory, its consciousness, its ambitions. It is what is everlasting in its geography and demography. It is the mirror of the nation’s […]