From a Newspaper on Tunisair to a New Generation of Independent Media: The Rise of English-Language Press in Tunisia

Impact Journalism day at 404Lab My generation was taught English starting around 4th grade in lycée. It didn't take long to catch on, and it drifted us away from the mainstream French that has long dominated public life in Tunisia. English felt more technical, more current — the apps we used, the books we read, the tutorials we followed were usually in English, not French.

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Why Tunisia Hit a Wall: Hamed Matri on the Crisis of Vision, Governance, and the Rule of Law

What if Tunisia's greatest challenge isn't its economy, its politicians, or even its recent crises—but the absence of a national project? In a thought-provoking speech, Hamed Matri argues that Tunisia's current difficulties are not the result of a single government, a revolution, or one political era. Instead, they are the predictable outcome of decades of governing without a long-term vision.

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Tunisia’s Press Freedom Continues to Decline: What Journalists’ Union Report Reveals

July 31, 2026 The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) has released its latest report covering the activities of its Executive Bureau between January 2025 and July 2026. While the document reviews the union's work over the past eighteen months, it also paints a troubling picture of the state of journalism and media freedom in Tunisia. According to the report, the country's media landscape has entered one of its most challenging periods in recent history, with increasing political, legal, and economic pressure on journalists and media organizations.

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L’Anatomie de la Mode en Ligne Tunisienne : Étude de Marché 2026

Le marché de la mode en ligne en Tunisie est à un point d’inflexion. Avec 10,4 millions d’internautes (84,3% de pénétration) et 7,83 millions d’identités sur les réseaux sociaux,…

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Tunisia’s Electricity Crisis: Hamed Matri Warns That the Problem Is Bigger Than STEG Engineers

The numbers, the warnings, and the political choices behind Tunisia’s energy crisis Tunisia’s recurring electricity problems have once again raised a fundamental question: was this crisis unavoidable, or was it the result of years of delayed decisions and ignored warnings? In a recent intervention, engineer and analyst Hamed Matri returned to the controversy surrounding the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG), questioning whether the focus on engineers and technical staff addresses the real causes of the crisis.

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When Patriotism Refuses to Be Silent: Hamed El Matri’s Republic Day Message and Tunisia’s Democratic Crossroads

There are speeches that disappear as quickly as they are published. Then there are speeches that linger—not because they are dramatic, but because they capture what many people have been struggling to put into words. On Tunisia's Republic Day, Hamed El Matri delivered one such speech. Rather than celebrating the occasion, he opened with a sentence that immediately set the tone:

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July 25, 2026: A New Generation Takes the Streets — Reflections on Tunisia’s Democratic Struggle

I was unable to attend the march held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, for several personal reasons. Throughout my life, I have participated in many demonstrations and civic movements. Sometimes circumstances allow me to be present on the streets; sometimes they do not. Activism is not measured only by physical presence at every event, but also by the ability to listen, document, analyze, and amplify the voices of those who participate.

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Tunisia’s Youth Between Hope and Despair: What a Reddit Thread Reveals About a Generation

As Tunisia approached the July 25 opposition march, one discussion on Reddit became much more than a debate about a protest. It turned into a snapshot of a generation caught between hope and despair, activism and resignation, dreams and disillusionment. Reading through hundreds of comments, one thing becomes clear: young Tunisians are no longer arguing only about politics. They are questioning whether change itself is still possible.

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Five Years After Tunisia’s Constitutional Crisis: Political Prisoner Ayachi Hammami Calls for President Saied’s Resignation

Five years after Tunisian President Kais Saied's extraordinary power grab on July 25, 2021, a new statement from political prisoner Ayachi Hammami, written from Mornaguia Prison, has reignited debate over the country's democratic future. Hammami, a veteran lawyer and opposition figure currently detained on political charges, argues that what he describes as a constitutional coup should not become Tunisia's permanent political reality.

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From Anonymous Blogs to Legal Chill: Tunisia’s Changing Landscape of Free Expression and the Debate Around Decree 54

As a blogger who started writing back in 2001, I have lived through a very different information landscape in Tunisia. Under the Ben Ali era, censorship was not a concept—it was a daily reality. Ma…

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حكاية التاكسيات في مطار تونس قرطاج الدولي

اليوم نحكيوا على واقع صعيب صاير في مطار تونس قرطاج: مشاكل التاكسيات، غياب الشفافية في التسعيرة، واستغلال بعض السياح ولا حتى التوانسة اللي ما يعرفوش النظام. المشكل موش في التاكسي كخدمة، أما في…

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Gabès Is Suffocating Again: When Industrial Pollution Becomes a Permanent State of Emergency

Another gas leak, another night of fear—and the same unanswered questions. In the early hours of 22 July 2026, residents of Chott Essalem in Gabès awoke not to the sounds of a peaceful summer morning, but to choking air. According to the environmental advocacy group Stop Pollution, dozens of people reportedly suffered respiratory distress following new gas emissions allegedly originating from units of the…

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Tunis-Carthage Airport’s Taxi Scam Problem Is an Open Secret — and Nobody in Charge Seems to Care

Landing at Tunis-Carthage International Airport should be the start of a visitor’s welcome to Tunisia. For years, it has instead been the start of a well-documented ritual of overcharging, ri…

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وزراء بكاكش؟

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دورة العشيية وسط تونس العاصمة

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When Oversight Is Blocked, Truth Becomes the First Casualty

Reflections on parliamentary oversight, prison transparency, and the public's right to know in Tunisia In times of crisis, transparency is not a luxury—it is a necessity. When official information is delayed or withheld, speculation inevitably fills the void, often deepening public anxiety and eroding trust in institutions. These concerns were recently articulated by Thabet El Abed, President of the Committee on Rights and Freedoms in Tunisia's Assembly of the Representatives of the People, in a public statement regarding the controversy surrounding the Civil Prison of M'saken (Mesadine).

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Tunisia’s Electricity Crisis: A Painful but Necessary Diagnosis

Based on the analysis of economist Ridha Chkondali — rewritten and expanded for discussion. Tunisia’s recurring electricity cuts during the summer of 2026 have triggered anger and frustration among citizens. The phenomenon, known as load shedding (Délestage), has affected households, businesses, and vulnerable people who depend on electricity-powered medical equipment. At first glance, the problem may appear to be a simple technical failure caused by extreme heat and increased demand from air conditioning.

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وشهد شاهد من اهلهم

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When a Visa Becomes a Barrier: Afef Ben Chahed’s Story and the Human Cost of Administrative Walls

A year of commitment to Wikimania, a missed conference because of a visa process For many people, a visa is seen as a simple administrative formality: prepare documents, submit an application, wait for approval, and travel. But for many others, a visa can become a barrier that separates people from opportunities they have worked hard to earn. The story shared by…

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No Development Without Freedom: Why a Tunisian Member of Parliament Says Economic Reform Cannot Succeed Without Political Reform

An analysis of a speech by Ali Bouzouzia, Member of the Tunisian Parliament, on governance, corruption, freedom of expression, and economic development. A speech by Ali Bouzouzia, a Member of the T…

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Heitham Mekki: A Friend, a Journalist, and a Voice That Refuses to Be Silenced

There are moments when writing is no longer about reporting facts or analyzing events. It becomes deeply personal. Today is one of those days. The decision of the Court of Appeal in Sfax to sentence journalist and media commentator Heitham Mekki to one year in prison has sparked a nationwide debate about freedom of expression, the place of journalism in a democratic society, and the growing legal pressures faced by journalists in Tunisia.

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الشركاات التونسية

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