It is a day of mobilization planned for a long time but which has taken on a particular symbolism. Tunisian journalists organized a “day of anger” on Thursday 16 February in the face of what they consider to be a decline in press freedom in their country. In question: increasingly difficult working conditions in the field and the arrest, Monday, February 13, of Noureddine Boutar, the general manager of Mosaïque FM, the most listened to radio station in the country.
With our correspondent in Tunis, Amira Souilem
” We are journalists. Not terrorists! “resumes the crowd. Near the seat of government in Tunis, the police block the advance of the protesters. Some reporters vent their anger:
” EHave you forgotten that it was us journalists who carried your voice and that of all those who demonstrated during those years? And today you come to surround us and block us? »
In the crowd, Samir Bouaziz, from the NGO Reporters Without Borders, a red ribbon hanging from his arm. ” Without a free press, there is no democracy and no democratic society, because it will be easy for a dictatorship to attack all other rights “, he explains.
While the general manager of Mosaïque FM, the most listened to radio station in the country, was arrested earlier this week, Tunisian journalists fear increased repression of their profession. This is the case of Houssine Dabbabi, editor-in-chief of the radio station in question:
” Our director’s file is empty, baseless and illegal. As a Tunisian journalist, I fear losing my freedom of expression. This is the only achievement of the 2011 revolution. »
Tunisia now ranks 94th out of 180 in the press freedom ranking established by Reporters Without Borders. That is a fall of 21 places in one year.
► To read also: Tunisia: President Kaïs Saïed justifies the arrests by an “attack on national security”