The European Union expressed concern over a wave of arrests of journalists and civil and political activists, Euractiv reported.
The EU made the announcement on Tuesday, May 14, demanding clarification from Tunisia, as that North African country faced a growing political crisis.
Freedoms of expression and association, as well as the independence of the judiciary, are guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution and constitute the basis of our partnership.
However, Tunisian police stormed the bar association’s headquarters for the second time in two days on Monday. Police arrested Mahdi Zagrouba after the weekend detention of Sonia Dahmani, another lawyer criticising the president.
United States State Department spokesman Vedant Patel responded that the raids were “inconsistent with what we believe are universal rights that are explicitly guaranteed in the Tunisian constitution and we have been clear about at all levels.”
Some opposition parties and national organisations described the weekend raid as “a shock and major escalation.” Moreover, the Bar Association announced a nationwide strike. That day, two IFM radio journalists, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaiss, were also arrested following their comments on radio and social media.
Last week, police arrested civil activists including Saadia Mosbah. Lawyers claim authorities suspect her of helping sub-Saharan migrants stay in Tunisia and alleged financial mismanagement.
Tunisian President Kais Saied told a meeting of the National Security Council that the migrant situation raised questions about who was really behind it. He described officials who run civil society groups defending migrants’ rights as “traitors” with foreign funding.
Saied took office after free elections in 2019. However, two years later, he dissolved the elected parliament and ruled the country by decree. He also took over the judiciary in what the opposition labelled a coup. The president argued his moves were legal and necessary to end years of chaos and corruption.
Hundreds of people protested in the capital Tunis on Sunday, demanding the release of jailed journalists, activists, and opposition figures. They also demanded a date for fair presidential elections.
Arrests of journalists in EU
However, detentions of journalists also occur within the European Union. Italy’s Former Prime Minister and president of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), Giuseppe Conte, condemned the imprisonment of an Italian journalist over an article.
Pasquale Napolitano is a journalist from “Il Giornale” who I got to know for his never tender background with the 5-Star Movement and also for his journalistic work between the territory and online information sites.
Conte stated that the imprisonment of journalists was “totally unacceptable.”
I am deeply concerned to learn today that he has even been sentenced to prison for the matter linked to one of his articles on an online site.
The close attention to journalism comes in the run-up to the June elections to the European Parliament. Leaders of EU member states and major political parties are expected to clash for top positions.
