Since Tunisia voluntarily entered into the orbit of Algeria in return for gas, the once Arab Spring success story has gone far in its backpedaling on democracy prompting the UN Human Rights Office to strongly denounce the crackdown on journalists. Mimicking Algeria, Tunisia has adopted legislations that criminalize independent journalism, stifle criticism of the authorities. “It is troubling to see Tunisia, a country that once held so much hope, regressing and losing the human rights gains of the last decade,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “I urge Tunisia to change course.”Like Algeria, Tunisia is using counter-terrorism legislation to silence independent reporting. “Since July 2021, the UN Human Rights Office in Tunisia has documented 21 cases of alleged human rights violations against journalists, including prosecutions before civilian and military courts,” Türk said.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 25, 2023 04:17 UTC