They are grassroots activists, journalists and politicians. They face the wrath of a regime which sets out to silence dissenting voices. And, like their male counterparts, these Tunisian women pay the price for their activism.
Freedom of Speech 29
Young Journalists Seize Control of Tunisia’s Press Union
On September 23, journalist Mohamed Yassine Jelassi, a member of Nawaat’s team, was elected president of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) for a three-year term. The association’s new executive committee is composed of nine members, including three women. With remarkable youth participation and a decent amount of female participation, the new committee reflects changes that have marked the sector within a tumultuous socio-political backdrop.
SNJT, a model for export to the Arab world?
“The answer is Tunisia.” That’s what Egyptians say when they talk about a solution to their political crisis and their hopes for democracy at home. It is not only about the possibility of exporting the so-called Tunisian political exception to the Arab region. It also expresses a desire to tap into the dynamism of the professional syndicates, trade unions, and civil society organizations that make up the political landscape in Tunisia and have come to exercise the power of oversight and consultation with the authorities. The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens, or SNJT) is one of these professional syndicates with growing weight and influence.
Interview with Moroccan Prince Moulay Hicham after his expulsion from Tunisia
Researcher at Harvard University and third in the order of succession to the Moroccan throne, Hicham Alaoui was expelled from Tunisia on 8 September 2017, few hours after landing in Tunis. The Boston resident, nicknamed the « red prince », was to speak in an academic symposium on Sunday organized by Stanford University. In spite of our numerous requests, Tunisian authorities have refused to reveal the motives behind their decision. Moulay Hicham, who is known for his critical views on authoritarianism in the Arab world and Morocco in particular, responded to Nawaat’s questions. Interview.
EU should support freedom of expression and call for the release of human rights defenders in UAE
By Khalid Ibrahim, Co-Director, Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of […]
Amnesty International: Freedom of expression on trial in Tunisia
PRESS RELEASE 2 July 2013 The trials this week of four Tunisians in different court cases for expressing opinions critical […]
Tunisia: Freedom of Expression is in Danger. A Call to Defend and Protect It
25 April 2012 Over two years after the Revolution for Freedom and Dignity had broken the shackles that fettered freedom […]
Timeline: Threats to Freedom of Expression in Post-revolution Tunisia
Outdated press and penal codes continue threatening artists, bloggers, whistleblowers, critics and media figures, while the judicial system suffers from a restrictive and repressive legislation and has yet to be reformed. So, how long is this trend expected to have an impact on Tunisia’s Freedom of expression?
Open discussion with a youth delegation of Turkey’s AK Party
June 29 th 2012, Nawaat had an open discussion with a youth delegation of Turkey’s AK PARTY (the Justice and Development Party), which has been ruling in Turkey since 2002.The attendees represented journalists from Tunisia live and Nawaat.
Le désastre judiciaire tunisien saurait-il être évité : liberté d’expression et nouvelles technologies de l’information
Attribuer le crédit, nommément, à certains réseaux sociaux dans cette accélération de l’Histoire est une appréciation tronquée. Celle-ci occulte la quintessence même de la révolution médiatique qu’a permise cette part difficilement contrôlable d’internet (I). […]
حرية التعبير في تونس: بين النهضة و المحاكم
كتبت سمية الغنوشي، إبنة راشد الغنوشي على صفحتها على الفايسبوك : ” ليعلم هؤلاء و كل الأفاكين من أمثالهم أننا سنتتبعهم قضائيا و نجرهم إلى المحاكم حتى ينتهوا عن ممارسة ألاعيبهم القذرة. ليعلموا أننا قد تعقبنا صحفا أعرق و أكبر منهم في بريطانيا و ألمانيا و إيطاليا كانت تتلقلى أموالا و دعما من المخلوع لتشويه النهضة و قيادتها فأفلس بعضها و اضطر إلى الإغلاق تحت طائلة هذه المحاكمات و القضاء. ليعلم هؤلاء أنهم قد ارتقوا مرتقا صعبا و أن زمن الغاب حيث كانوا يصولون و يجولون دون حسيب أو رقيب قد ولى وانتهى.”
Truth Unraveled About the Status of Human Rights and Liberty of Expression in Tunisia
The overthrow of Ben Ali, ex-Tunisian president, opened up the opportunity for many international Non-Governmental organizations to endorse their activities in Tunisia or open new office. During Ben Ali’s rule, human rights and fundamental liberties were highly suppressed and human rights activists were often constrained to militate in unrecognized organizations.
One Year after Revolution: How Far has Tunisia Changed?
By Afef Abrougui – Tunisians have started to enjoy new freedoms and political rights: freedom of expression, and the right to assembly and protest. More than 100 political parties and hundreds of NGOs made of Tunisia a pluralistic country par excellence. […]
Turkish “democracy”: The two articles that caused the firing of Turkish journalist Ece Temelkuran
[Editor’s Note: Here are two articles written by one of Turkey’s best-known journalists and political commentators Ece Temelkuran in which she criticized the regime’s repressive policy towards journalists and its militaristic policy towards Kurds, a policy that culminated recently in the Uludere massacre that killed over 35 people among them 19 kids. Ece Tumlekuran’s articles were published last week on her former newspaper Habertuk and resulted in her firing from the newspaper under what seemingly was a political pressure from the political establishment.]
Africa-Resolution On Freedom Of Expression And Protection Of Journalists
We, Participants at the NGO Forum in preparation of the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and […]
Global Bloggers Tell Washington (And Google): Hands Off Our Internet Freedom Fight
The U.S.’s Internet freedom movement has been engaged in plenty of soul-searching since Haystack, a much-hyped anti-censorship tool built by […]
Tunisia: Muzzling the muzzled
The six-month jail sentence handed to Tunisian journalist Taoufik Ben Brik by a Tunis court on 26 November was an […]
Dictatorship, Tunisia’s undeserved fate
At a press conference on May 4, Naji Bghouri, the head of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT), was prevented by pro-government journalists from finishing comments in which he mentioned of declining press freedoms in Tunisia. The episode showed that the regime of President Zine al-Abedine ben Ali had lost patience even with a body that it had helped establish in January 2008 to cut the grass out from under the feet of the country’s most critical journalists.
