In worsening pre-summit tension, French TV pulls out crew because of close surveillance

The Tunisian authorities meanwhile yesterday denied that a Belgian public television crew was attacked in Tunis on 14 November. “The Tunisian authorities have displayed flagrant hypocrisy by claiming that ‘Tunisia has given the best possible welcome to the hundreds of journalists who have come from all over the world to cover the WSIS',” Reporters Without Borders said. “Since 11 November, a Libération journalist has been beaten and stabbed, a crew with the Belgian television station RTBF has been attacked and now, to cap it all, two TV5 journalists have been harassed,” the press freedom organisation said. The two TV5 Monde journalists, who had preparing a report on European Union activity in Northern Africa, were subjected to “close surveillance by plain-clothes agents,” said the TV station's management, which decided it had better repatriate them to Paris although they said they were not physically attacked or intimidated. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15.11.2005 Rights activist and Belgian TV crew attacked in mounting tension before Tunis summit Reporters Without Borders today said it was “appalled” by yesterday's attack by plain-clothes police on a Belgian TV crew as it was accompanying lawyer and human rights activist Radhia Nasraoui to a meeting of non-governmental organisations at the German “Goethe Institute” cultural centre in Tunis. “This new act of intimidation proves that a campaign is being deliberately organised against the foreign media and Tunisian human rights activists on the eve of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis,” the press freedom organisation said. “Once again the Tunisian authorities have not hesitated to use violence against journalists.” Reporter Marianne Klaric and cameraman Jean-Jaques Mathy of the Belgian TV station RTBF were driving with Nasraoui to the NGO meeting when their car was surrounded by about 40 plain-clothes policemen. Mathy was forcibly pulled from the car and his video camera and cassette were seized. The camera was subsequently returned but not the videotape. Klaric and Nasraooui meanwhile eluded their assailants by locking themselves inside the car. This was the second attack on foreign journalists in three days. Visiting correspondent Christophe Boltanski of the French daily Libération was beaten and stabbed near his hotel in the Tunis embassy district on the evening of 11 November. The United Nations still seems unable to guarantee the necessary security and freedom of expression for journalists and human rights activists for the three-day WSIS that begins tomorrow. Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard was meanwhile told in a letter from the WSIS executive secretariat on 10 November that the Tunisian authorities are refusing to let him into the country to attend the summit.