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Civil and Political Rights
3 - Freedom of Speech
Freedom of opinion and expression is guaranteed by the
Constitution (article 8). Since November 7, 1987, various measures have been taken to ensure real exercise of these
freedoms.
- Creation of a Higher Communication Council (1989) which
is responsible particularly for studying and proposing all measures that may contribute to the establishment of
a policy of communication aimed essentially at enabling the citizen to enjoy his right to free and pluralist information
and to contribute to the promotion of legislation in this field.
- In a speech on November 7, 1998, the 11th anniversary
of the Change, President Ben Ali announced his decision to broaden the powers of the Higher Communication Council
so that, in addition to its original tasks, it would assume the role of national information observatory, to help
follow developments in this sector and present an annual national report for publication, in addition to the ad
hoc reports it is responsible for preparing on the main developments occurring in the sector.
- Amendment, in 1988 and 1993, of provisions of the Press
Code concerning formal deposit with certain national institutions (dépôt légal), reducing the
number of offenses, and instituting the principle of providing proof in all cases of libel. Henceforth, the suspension
of periodicals is a matter to be decided solely by the courts. The laws and regulations established thus enable
journalists to fully play their role, in offering Tunisians pluralistic, transparent and credible information.
- The Tunisian media operate in an open, pluralistic environment
including:
- More than 180 national publications and periodicals,
700 foreign publications and newspapers, and over 65 accredited foreign correspondents; in addition, hundreds of
journalists from all over the world visit the country every year.
- Three regional radio stations –there are now five of
them– and a radio channel and a television channel for youth.
- The Tunisian TV channel "Canal 7" is broadcast
by satellite, establishing a link between Tunisia and its expatriate community and reaching out to audiences abroad.
- The French television channel "France 2" is
broadcast tbrough the national television broadcasting system, as is the Italian public channel "Rai Uno."
- Opening to new information technologies, with immediate
access to the Internet for all individuals and institutions. As a result, the number of new connections to this
network has tripled since September 1997.
- Elimination of the State Secretariat for Information
(October 9, 1997).
- In his speech on November 7th, 1997, President Ben Ali
called on newspaper publishers and editors, now that the State has provided the necessary legal assurances, to
seek quality and to "develop the media discourse to an outstanding level, and approach issues honestly, audaciously
and responsibly. Professionals in this field no longer have any excuse to evade their responsibilities or resort
to the easy way out by practicing self-censorship.”
(1) Speech
by President Ben Ali, November 7,1997
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