TUNISIAN JOURNALISTS ARE THE NEWS FOR JUNE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000939 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/FO (CARPENTER) NEA/MAG (HOPKINS/HARRIS); DRL FOR CLAYTON; NEA/PPD (SMITH/FINVER); NEA/PI LONDON AND PARIS FOR NEA WATCHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2017 TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KDEM KPAO TS SUBJECT: TUNISIAN JOURNALISTS ARE THE NEWS FOR JUNE REF: TUNIS 708 Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec for Reasons 1.4 b & d -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Rather than just reporting the news, a series of incidents involving Tunisian journalists became news during late May and June. In brief: -- On May 18, plainclothes policemen barricaded the entrance to an online newspaper and reportedly assaulted several journalists. -- On June 22, plainclothes police reportedly confiscated most of the copies of an opposition newspaper carrying an article critical of the GOT. -- On June 29, plainclothes police reportedly assaulted the President of the Tunisian Journalists' Syndicate during an opposition party meeting. These incidents are indicative of the GOT's heavy-handed security approach to limiting freedom of expression in Tunisia. While officials like to argue that press freedom is growing, too often journalists and human rights activists become targets for security forces. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) The series of incidents involving journalists began on May 18, when plainclothes policemen barricaded the entrance to the building housing the online newspaper Kalima. The barricade began shortly after Kalima, which shares office space with the unauthorized opposition party the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia (CNLT),assisted international NGOs Frontline and Human Rights First by hosting a workshop on Internet freedom (Ref A). Police reportedly prevented a delegation of civil society representatives (members of the Tunisian Human Rights League or LTDH, Association Against Torture in Tunisia, Tunisian Journalists' Syndicate, and Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberty) from entering the building on June 6. On June 8, plainclothes policemen reportedly damaged Kalima/CNLT documents and equipment. The barricade was reportedly lifted in early July. ¶3. (SBU) On Friday, June 22, plainclothes policemen reportedly confiscated most copies of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) Arabic weekly al-Mowqif from newsstands. It is not uncommon for publications to be seized when they contain articles the GOT considers critical or sensitive. In this case, the issue carried an article on a reported police attack against labor union leaders in Kasserine on June 13. The article included a photo of Khaled Barhoumi, a regional union leader in Kasserine, who was reportedly injured by police and taken to the hospital to be treated for a fractured skull. ¶4. (C) On June 29, Lotfi Hajji, president of the Tunisian Journalists' Syndicate and Al-Jazeera correspondent, was reportedly assaulted by plainclothes policemen when trying to attend an event organized by the independent opposition party Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberty (FDTL) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP). Hajji told Poloff on July 2 that he was put in a headlock, thrown to the ground and kicked, and still had some bruises. FDTL Secretary General Mustapha Ben Jaafar told the Ambassador on July 2 that plainclothes policemen had blocked the entrance to their event, and prevented many participants from entering. FDTL leadership attempted to negotiate with the police for about an hour and a half before the assault occurred. Other civil society activists, including Ali Ben Salem (president of the Bizerte branch of the Tunisian Human Rights League) were also reportedly injured by the police. (Note: PolOff attended a subsequent FDTL and PDP public event on July 7 that proceeded unhindered. Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, former party leader and a member of the PDP's political office, told PolOff he did not know why the FDLT encountered difficulty on June 29 and not on July 7, but speculated that incidents seem to diminish when there is a diplomatic presence. End Note.) -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) While the GOT likes to argue that freedom of expression in Tunisia is growing, pointing to al-Mowqif as an example, security forces continue to restrict independent media activities. Such incidents serve as reminders of the continued limits on freedom of expression in Tunisia, a problem that the Ambassador and EmbOffs repeatedly raise with GOT interlocutors. Post is exploring freedom of speech as a topic for the Embassy's monthly roundtable series, and will continue to maintain close contact with civil society. GODEC