The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) strongly denounced this Friday, April 11, the exclusion of several journalists – Tunisian and foreign – from the courtroom of the Tunis 1 court, on the occasion of the second hearing of the so -called “conspiracy against the state security”. A measure deemed arbitrary and attack on fundamental rights linked to the freedom to inform.
According to an official SNJT press release, the security guards posted at the entrance to the court prohibited journalists from accessing the room, without providing clear explanations, contenting themselves with evoking simple “instructions”. The journalists present would have tried, in vain, to join the public prosecutor to obtain clarifications.
For the SNJT, this ban constitutes a “blatant violation of press freedom” and the right of access to information. The union recalls that article 143 of the Tunisian Criminal Procedure Code guarantees the publicity of hearings, unless a reasoned decision of the judge for camera. However, no official notification has been communicated to media representatives.
In his declaration, the union denounces a “discriminatory policy with regard to the media” on the part of the judicial institution, which he accuses of deliberately restricting the work of journalists, especially in affairs within political and political.
He calls on the authorities to respect the principles of transparency and accountability, by authorizing journalists to freely cover legal proceedings, especially in a case as sensitive as that of the “conspiracy”.
This exclusion from the media intervenes in an already tense context. The hearing was temporarily suspended due to tensions between the defense lawyers and the president of the court. The latter protested the ban on the families of the accused and activists to access the room.
Recall that this affair, which dates back to February 2023, implies around forty people, including opposition political figures, former ministers, lawyers, as well as businessmen. They are accused of having formed an agreement in order to conspire against the internal and external security of the state.
