Impartial press banned from overlaying Tunisian opening of parliament

Tunisia’s new parliament sat for the primary time on Monday, however each native journalists working for personal media and their worldwide colleagues, weren’t allowed to attend.

Solely the state TV, radio, and information company have been allowed to cowl the occasion which was broadcast dwell on public tv.

It’s the first time because the 2011 revolution that the unbiased media have been banned from attending the opening session of parliament.

“It is a new try and maintain individuals at nighttime, an assault on freedom of the press and the correct of entry to data, and the liberty of journalistic work,” stated Amira Mohamed, Vice-President of the Nationwide Union of Tunisian Journalists.

Many unbiased Tunisian journalists say they’re more and more involved about what they see as an erosion of press freedom within the nation.

Final yr, they protested towards what they described because the rising repression and intimidation of the media since President Kais Saied’s energy seize in 2021.

Within the Reporters With out Borders 2022 Press Freedom Index, Tunisia fell 21 locations, from 73rd to 94th place.

The opposition coalition stated it could not recognise the legitimacy of the brand new parliament which was voted in following an election during which the turnout was simply 11 per cent.

It is going to function underneath a brand new structure that Saied pushed by way of a referendum in July 2022, a yr after he seized energy by suspending the previous meeting earlier than dissolving it and dismissing the federal government.