The national union of Tunisian journalists expressed concern following the verbal assault suffered by a member of the team of the “Babnet Tunisia” site in the city of Mazzouna, governorate of Sidi Bouzid, during the recent popular demonstrations.
In a statement, the union firmly condemned this incident, qualifying it as an attack on press freedom and all journalists. He called on the Ministry of the Interior to take measures against those responsible for this assault and to guarantee respect for the work of journalists.
A video showing a journalist victim of verbal assault on the part of security agents during the coverage of the clashes between the police and the demonstrators in Mazzouna, was largely shared on social networks. The incident took place on the night of yesterday, when the journalist filmed the growing tensions between the demonstrators and the police after the drama of the tragic death of three students in the collapse of a high school wall.
The union insisted that journalists must not be targeted and must be able to exercise their work safely, while respecting their information mission, recalling that filming police interventions during protests is part of the citizen surveillance of security action, essential to guarantee respect for human laws and rights.
Stressing that journalists are in no way stakeholders in the events they cover, the union called for caution and published a series of security recommendations for journalists covering social movements in Mazzouna.
