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Tunisian journalists are facing “mounting censorship” and an “unprecedented rise in threats” against press freedom, the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) warned in a statement Tuesday.
The union accused authorities of ongoing attempts to “subjugate and domesticate” the media through “restrictions, harassment, and exclusion.”
The SNJT denounced the deliberate concealment of information of public interest and pointed to several restrictive measures. These include authorities barring local and foreign journalists from entering courtrooms to cover politically sensitive trials involving political and media figures.
Furthermore, the union condemned the denial of press accreditation and the refusal to issue filming permits to foreign correspondents, calling it a “clear intent to undermine the very essence of free journalism and turn the media into tools of propaganda.”
These concerns align with warnings from global rights groups about a sharp decline in civil liberties since President Kais Saied’s sweeping power grab in July 2021.
Saied’s critics are often prosecuted and detained under his 2022 Decree 54, which prohibits “spreading false news.”
The increasing restrictions are reflected in global rankings, with Tunisia dropping 11 places to 129th out of 180 countries in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders global press freedom index.
The clampdown has also targeted other civic groups, with authorities recently suspending at least two major rights organisations, the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES) and the Association of Democratic Women (ATFD).
