22 December 2008 - The TMG held a special event in Beirut during the 3rd Arab Free Press Forum, organised by WAN on 12 December. Despite attempts by the Tunisian authorities to disrupt the event, including by preventing journalist Lofti Hidouri of OLPEC and human rights lawyer Mohamed Abbou from travelling, the event managed to attract attention and solidarity from journalists and activists from the region. Naziha Rjiba and Sihem Bensedrine of "Kalima" online magazine and OLPEC said the jailing of Hidouri perfectly illustrates the repression of independent journalists and rights activists in Tunisia. Bensedrine read a poetic speech by Abbou, in which he said, "I take this opportunity to say to all who contributed to defending and supporting me when I was imprisoned under the tyranny of dictatorship that their effort did not go in vain, and without their support, my imprisonment would have been much harder. Without this solidarity, those who threatened my family would have carried out their threats."

11 December 2008 - On 10 December, Mohamed Abbou, a human rights lawyer and writer, and journalist Lotfi Hidouri were prevented from travelling to Beirut for the 3rd Arab Free Press Forum. Abbou was once again prevented from leaving the country by the airport police, while Hidouri was taken into detention in the airport on his way to Beirut. He was held in jail overnight and taken to court today.
(Photo: Mohamed Abbou and his daughter. Source: PDP)

13 November 2008 - OLPEC reports that more websites have been hacked in Tunisia, since the hacking of Kalima in October. Tunisnews was the target of a hacking attack on 5 November 2008, but the site was restored. The same day,
 the site of the opposition Parti Démocratique Progressiste (PDP) was the target of an act of sabotage that completely destroyed its archives. The images illustrating the articles were replaced with the skull of a pirate. It is the fourth time this year that the PDP's site has been the object of such an attack. The site of opposition activist Moncef Marzouki was also hacked. praising Ben Ali, which are presented as news stories.
(Photo: Maya Jribi of PDP trying to enter PDP offices. Source: PDP.)

11 November 2008 - To mark the 21st anniversary of Ben Ali's Presidency, CPJ and RSF issued statements noting the ongoing censorship and repression of dissent in Tunisa. ANHRI also issued a press release noting that newspapers in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon continue to publish paid advertisements praising Ben Ali, which are presented as news stories.

23 October 2008 - The TMG is concerned about recent attacks against human rights defenders and representatives of independent media outlets in Tunisia. They include the hacking and destruction of Kalima, aggression against Kalima staff, and rights defenders working with CNLT and OLPEC, an IFEX member. Naziha Rejiba, Deputy President of OLPEC and a well-known writer, was summoned to appear before a public prosecutor on 27 October, after she wrote in the opposition weekly "Mouatinoun" about the destruction of Kalima, in which she accused Tunisian authorities to be behind the attack. This week, Mohammed Abbou was prevented by immigration authorities from leaving Tunisia. The TMG has written to Frank La Rue, the new UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, requesting he monitor the situation and visit Tunisia. (Read the letter here.)

14 October 2008 - The online news magazine Kalima, often touted as one of the only independent news sources in Tunisia, has suffered an attack that has completely destroyed its web content, reports the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC). The attack comes three months after the site was re-launched as multimedia platform and archive. Other independent sites have been the subject of similar attacks in the past. As well, Kalima editor-in-chief and OLPEC secretary-general Sihem Bensedrine was again assaulted by police thugs.

23 September 2008 - Tunisia promotes itself as a progressive nation that protects human rights, but a CPJ investigation has found that it aggressively silences journalists and others who challenge the policies of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In a new report, “The Smiling Oppressor,” CPJ has found journalists subject to routine imprisonment, assault, harassment, and censorship.