Amnesty International Denounces Tunisian Authorities' Clampdown on Media

Human rights activists accuse the authorities of suppressing freedom of expression under “Decree 54” approved by President Saied (EPA)
Human rights activists accuse the authorities of suppressing freedom of expression under “Decree 54” approved by President Saied (EPA)
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Amnesty International Denounces Tunisian Authorities' Clampdown on Media

Human rights activists accuse the authorities of suppressing freedom of expression under “Decree 54” approved by President Saied (EPA)
Human rights activists accuse the authorities of suppressing freedom of expression under “Decree 54” approved by President Saied (EPA)

A crackdown by Tunisian authorities on journalists and media figures is "methodically annihilating" what little remains of the country's hard-won freedoms, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

The rights groups said in a joint statement that authorities have "ramped up" their "repression of free speech" under Decree 54, a law against "false news", as the country readies for presidential elections set to take place this autumn.

"By attacking journalists and other media figures, Saied's government is moving to put the last nail in the coffin of Tunisia's civic space," Lama Fakih, Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa director, said, AFP reported.

The groups decried what they called the "undermining (of) the judiciary" in Tunisia.

This came as President Kais Saied dismissed more than 50 judges shortly after a sweeping power grab in 2021, while last year the government began a series of arrests that have most recently targeted political opponents and civil society figures.

"Tunisian authorities are methodically annihilating the last remaining gains of the 2011 revolution: freedom of expression and the press," Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa director, said in the statement.

Ahead of the elections, Morayef urged the government to "ensure that all Tunisians are able to freely express their views" and that "independent media are able to conduct their reporting free from harassment or intimidation".

Both groups called on authorities to "immediately release those detained and drop all prosecutions for expression".

They also called for the repeal of "Decree-Law 2022-54, along with vague or overbroad provisions of other existing codes that have been used to criminalise free expression".

The groups highlighted the cases of media figures Borhen Bssais and Mourad Zeghidi, who were sentenced last week to one year in prison, and the co-founder of independent media Inkyfada, who was sentenced to nine months in prison.

They also mentioned the forceful arrest of lawyer and political commentator Sonia Dahmani under the same decree, after masked police raided the Tunisian bar association headquarters on May 11 -- two days before they arrested a second lawyer.

According to the rights groups, "over 70 people, including political opponents, lawyers, journalists, activists, human rights defenders and social media users have been subjected to arbitrary prosecutions since the end of 2022".

"At least 40 remain arbitrarily detained as of May 2024, with most of them held in connection with the exercise of their internationally protected rights."



Australia Starts Evacuating Nationals from Lebanon via Cyprus

 Australian nationals evacuated from Lebanon, due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, arrive at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus, October 5, 2024. (Reuters)
Australian nationals evacuated from Lebanon, due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, arrive at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus, October 5, 2024. (Reuters)
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Australia Starts Evacuating Nationals from Lebanon via Cyprus

 Australian nationals evacuated from Lebanon, due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, arrive at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus, October 5, 2024. (Reuters)
Australian nationals evacuated from Lebanon, due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, arrive at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus, October 5, 2024. (Reuters)

Australia started evacuating its nationals from Lebanon via Cyprus on Saturday, in the first large-scale operation to get citizens out of the country amid an Israeli onslaught on Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Some 229 people arrived on the east Mediterranean island, which lies a 40-minute flight time from Beirut, on a commercial airline chartered by Australia. A second flight is scheduled later in the day.

More evacuation flights could be expected based on demand, Australian and Cypriot officials said.

At Cyprus's Larnaca airport, civilians of all ages transferred from the aircraft into a terminal and then escorted onto waiting coaches. Children helped themselves to red apples and water provided by Australian military staff.

"They are exhausted, exceptionally happy to be here but heartbroken because they left family behind," said Fiona McKergow, the Australian High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Cyprus.

More and more countries are using close hubs like Cyprus to assist in evacuations from Lebanon. Israel has sharply escalated attacks on Hezbollah in recent weeks, with a barrage of airstrikes and a ground operation in the south of the country, after nearly a year of lower-level cross-border conflict waged in parallel with Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

In the past week, Cyprus assisted evacuations by China, Greece, Portugal and Slovakia. Britain and the United States have also moved personnel to Cyprus to assist in military evacuations, if necessary.

Cyprus had been used to evacuate close to 60,000 people from Lebanon in the last serious escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

Some of those evacuated on Saturday said they did not think they would ever return to Lebanon.

"Never, ever. I was traumatized, my kids were traumatized. It's not a safe country, I won't be back," said Dana Hameh, 34.

She added: "I feel very sad leaving my country but I'm very happy to start a new life in Sydney. Life goes on. I wish the best for everyone."