Ban on Union of Tunisian Journalists slammed

Reporters Without Borders voiced shock on August 25 at the Tunisian government's decision to ban the Union of Tunisian Journalists (SJT) from holding a founding congress that had been scheduled for 7 September. "The United Nations agreed to hold its World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis in November in order to give President Ben Ali a chance to improve his record on free expression, but press freedom is still non-existent in Tunisia and now the authorities are harassing the SJT and forcing it to cease its activities," the organization said in a press statement.