TUNISIA OBSERVES WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 001220

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/FO (GRAY),NEA/MAG (GERMAINE,LAWRENCE),
NEA/PPD (FERNANDEZ, SMITH, AGNEW),NEA/PI (MULENEX, KIRBY),
NEA/PA, NEA/IPA, I/GNA, DRL, CWG-PD
PARIS FOR ZEYA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM KPAO EAID PHUM KMPI TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA OBSERVES WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

REF: A. 05 TUNIS 977


B. 05 TUNIS 1085

C. TUNIS 387

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Hudson; reasons 1.4 (b) & (d)

1.(C) Summary: World Press Freedom Day (May 3) 2006 was
observed in Tunisia with the usual repeat of GOT
pronouncements in support of a free press, unaccompanied by
any new initiative to make reality match the rhetoric. Both
the Tunisian Journalists Association and the unrecognized
Tunisian Journalists Union published critical reports on the
situation of the media, with the former focusing on the
myriad financial and administrative issues that affect
Tunisian journalists and the latter taking more pointed aim
at the government control over the media. All of the
Tunisian newspapers highlighted President Ben Ali's May 3
message to Tunisian journalists in which he endorsed the
"fundamental rights" of freedom of the press and expression.
Ironically, however, only one (opposition) newspaper covered
a protest on the lack of press freedom that was blocked by
police. End Summary.

Usual Rhetoric
--------------
2.(U) In a May 3, 2006 message to Tunisian journalists and
communicators, President Ben Ali stated that "freedom of
expression and that of the press are fundamental rights of
the individual." He went on to reaffirm his support of the
Tunisian media with "a view to make it better equipped to
reflect the deep changes our society is undergoing in its
march towards democracy and modernity" and to promise that
"we will strive to further strengthen freedom of the press."
The President expressed his support for a "free, democratic,
and objective press" and previewed a further opening of the
national media to the private sector. This was the same
message that he passed to journalists on World Press Freedom
Day in 2005. (Ref A) Several journalists expressed their
disappointment that the President did not use the opportunity
to announce any new press initiatives; many were hoping that
he would announce the licensing of new private media, an
initiative which was rumored to be in the works as of
November 7, 2005.

Tunisian Journalists Association (AJT) Report
--------------
3.(C) On May 3, the Tunisian Journalists Association (AJT)
released its annual report on the situation of the press in
Tunisia. As opposed to last year, when two reports were
simultaneously published by two different factions of the AJT
(resulting in police interrogations and public
recriminations) (Ref B),the Association's board released a
unified report that repeated the usual criticisms of the
financial and administrative situation of Tunisian
journalists. As in past years, the AJT report detailed many
of the challenges facing Tunisian journalists, including the
fact that no new newspapers were licensed and noting the near
absence of investigative reporting or editorial comment on
local issues. While the AJT report criticized the government
owned-television's programming and also mentioned
"censorship, abusive licensing practices, and refusal of
coverage of some events," the authors studiously avoided any
direct criticism of the GOT. In a subsequent AJT communique
published on May 20, the AJT praised President Ben Ali for
his support for journalists in Tunisia.

Tunisian Journalists Union (SJT) Report
--------------
4.(C) Lotfi Hajji, the President of the unrecognized Tunisian
Journalists Union, also released a report on the situation of
the press in Tunisia. Given the illegal status of his
organization, the SJT report was distributed informally to
Tunisian journalists, civil society organizations, and
embassies. This year's report is more straightforward than
last year's SJT report (Ref B) in its direct accusation of
GOT harassment of journalists and control over media outlets
such as nominally private "Ash Shourouq" (the most widely
read newspaper in Tunisia). The report provides a level of
detail not previously seen as it mentions specific cases of
journalists who face financial hardships, editorial abuses,
and unfair treatment. On May 12, Hajji was convoked to
police headquarters and interrogated for four hours about an
"illegal" meeting of "civil society representatives" at his
home in Bizerte. The list of representatives presented to
him by the police included the names of his wife and brother.
Hajji confided to Embassy personnel his belief that this
interrogation was a further attempt to intimidate him given
his public criticism of the GOT.

GOT Blocks Demonstration for Greater Freedom of Expression
-------------- --------------
5.(C) On May 3, the members of the Movement of October 18
(Ref C) called for a demonstration in support of greater
freedom of the press and expression in front of the
headquarters of the government-owned Tunisian radio and
television. Security forces blocked the would-be protesters
from reaching the planned site. An October 18 communique
stated "Security forces in large numbers closed the entries
leading to the assembly place and violently attacked several
of the participants ... and arrested a number of young men
who were released later." One Tunisian newspaper, opposition
paper "Al Mawqif" reported on this event.

Media Coverage Diplomatic and Mostly Positive
--------------
6.(C) On May 3, most Tunisian newspapers ran editorials
supporting the idea of a free press. None dealt directly
with the situation in Tunisia as all focused on general
principles of a media sector "free from ideological and
political exploitation" and "committed to people's concerns."
On May 4, all newspapers headlined the President's message
to the journalists with three government-owned newspapers
publishing editorials praising GOT efforts to promote freedom
of the press in the country.


7. (SBU) In its May 11 issue, privately-owned Tunisian
bilingual weekly magazine "Realites" published a series of
articles that cited specific challenges faced by the press in
Tunisia. The first was an editorial in French entitled "On
press freedom, yet again" calling for new press laws that
would improve the financial and professional aspects of
Tunisian media to include transfer of ownership from one
individual to a company, better management of public ads, and
making it easier to establish a new media outlet. The second
was an editorial in Arabic on the need for greater debate and
discussion in the local media. The magazine also featured
two long and detailed articles (one in French entitled "The
Sad Destiny of Tunisian Journalists" and another in Arabic
entitled "Addressing the Financial and Professional Needs of
Journalists") on the AJT report; both articles covered the
report's presentation of the variety of problems faced by
Tunisian journalists, informing readers of issues that are
usually only discussed in media circles. The same issue of
"Realites" also published a pointed interview with a retired
GOT official, who was close to former President Bourguiba, in
which the official described the important role of the press
in Tunisian independence and criticized Bourguiba for not
having permitted greater democracy and political openness in
the country. (Comment. This is the first time in memory
that a Tunisian news outlet has so widely and clearly
addressed the situation of the media in the country. Through
the use of pointed, but diplomatic language, "Realites"
managed to expose the weakness of the media environment in
Tunisia, without ever pointing its finger directly at the
GOT. End Comment.)

Freedom of the Press in Tunisia -- Where does it Stand?
-------------- --------------
8.(C) Comment. Tunisia's observance of World Press Freedom
Day and the resultant series of events -- Presidential
proclamations in support of a free press, Tunisian media
support of the President, blocked demonstrations, carefully
balanced AJT reports, and government harassment of
independent journalists such as Lotfi Hajji -- are a simple
repetition of events from previous years. The only new
development is the willingness by some journalists, such as
those in "Realites," to carefully and quietly begin to
discuss the reality of a tightly controlled and handicapped
Tunisian media. These journalists, however, remain few in
number and will likely continue to be limited in scope and
power until GOT actions begin to match its rhetoric.
HUDSON