Tunisia: Government suspends investigative media platform amid crackdown on free speech

On 31 October, the Tunisian government ordered the suspension of the investigative media platform Nawaat for one month, citing legal and administrative grounds. The move is part of a broader government crackdown on critical voices within civil society organisations. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens (SNJT) in condemning the decision and calls on the authorities to lift the suspension, which aims to stifle free speech in the country, immediately.

Credit: Nawaat.

Nawaat, one of Tunisia's leading investigative media platforms, receiveda notification on 31 October ordering the suspension of its activities for one month. The measure comes after the platform was subjected to a series of harassment incidents, investigations, and financial and tax controls over the past year.

The suspension of Nawaat - the first media to be subjected to such a sanction - is, alongside the jailing of journalists, one of the gravest threats to journalism in Tunisia since the fall of Ben Ali's regime in 2011.

"This is part of a series of arbitrary suspensions ordered by the authorities, targeting several activist associations,"readsNawaat's statement, which announced that it will appeal against this measure in court. "We reaffirm our commitment to the values of the press and freedom of expression, as well as our editorial charter, dedicated to the values of liberty, justice, and equality."

The Tunisian government has escalated its clampdown on civil society, suspendingprominent advocacy groups such as the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) and the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) in late October. Dozens of other organisations reported being subjected to official investigations.

The SNJT condemnedthe decision and expressed its solidarity with Nawaat: "The decision to suspend Nawaat [...] cannot be separated from the authorities' systematic campaign to restrict public space. At its core, it is an attempt to silence one of the most prominent independent investigative media outlets in Tunisia and a blatant attack on the right of journalists to work freely and responsibly."

"Nawaat's suspension is the latest sign of Tunisia's authoritarian drift under President Kais Saied's rule, and it represents a dangerous escalation in the government's policy of targeting the media," said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. "Nawaat produces high-quality, independent news and is absolutely essential for maintaining democratic debate in Tunisia. We call on the Tunisian authorities to annul Nawaat's suspension and to stop hindering the work of independent media."