Freedom of Press and Speech

Freedom of Press and Speech TUNIS - Tap Media and press organisations, associations and authorities requested from the National Constituent Assembly's elected members to incorporate in the new Constitution an article that explicitly guarantees" the right to information as a fundamental human right, as well as freedom of opinion, speech and press, and not to make any piece of legislation that could muzzle it." All these sides, meeting on Monday in response to the call of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) urged, in a joint statement, to work for joining efforts of civil and political societies to defend the Tunisian people's right to information, as well as to freedom of opinion, speech and the press. Signees of the statement urged all authorities and organisations to defend the values of freedom which are the "guarantees of democratic transition." They also reminded that lack of freedom of speech and of the press "was, under the former regime, behind the crimes of corruption, dictatorship and robbing of public property." Signers represent the SNJT, the General Union of Culture and Information coming under the Tunisian General Labour Union, the Association of Newspaper Directors, the African Centre for Journalists and Communicators Re-training, the National Independent Authority for Communication and Information Reform and the National Independent Council for Information and Communication.