President of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) Yassine Jelassi said the number of attacks on journalists “rises each year because of the culture of impunity upheld by the state.»

Attacks have reached their peak between November 2020 and October 2021, he said, pointing out that “Tunisia is no longer a safe environment for the practice of journalism.»

At a meeting held by SNJT Tuesday in Tunis, on the International Day of the End of Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Jelassi said out of more than 300 cases filed during the last five years, only one case has resulted in the conviction of the aggressor.

“The others have been closed or stored in court lockers,” which has encouraged impunity in these cases, he lamented.

The president of the SNJT said the protection of journalists is guaranteed by Tunisian law. “The problem lies in the lack of political will to enforce these laws,” he pointed out.

Despite continued coordination with the Ministry of Interior, the police are at the top of the list of perpetrators of attacks on journalists in most of the reports on the safety of journalists, he regretted.

For her part, Salwa Ghazouani, office director of the organisation Article 19 MENA said “we cannot talk about freedom of the press without guaranteeing protection to journalists,” saying that journalists in Tunisia “work in a fragile environment, which rises threats of attacks.

Source: Tap News Agency