The Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) is a coalition of 18 organisations set up in 2004 to monitor freedom of expression in Tunisia in the run up to and following the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The 18 organisations are all members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). The TMG monitors free expression violations in Tunisia to focus attention on the country's need to improve its human rights record.

WPFC Executive Director Mark Bench has participated in all five of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) Tunisian Monitoring Group's (TMG) missions to Tunisia, four prior to the WSIS II held in Tunis in (Dec 05) and the follow-up mission following the Summit. All of the missions were planned to increase freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of association. All five missions were met with governmental barriers to openness, numerous meetings blocked and prevented by political police, and by misrepresentations by government officials. Since it is IFEX's, WPFC's, and other participants' desire to see these goals met, and all participants had open minds, the findings were unanimous in each case. The Tunisian government and its gongos have strongly protested the findings of all five TMG missions as being unbalanced and tendentious, biased against Tunisia. TMG members have no reason to be biased. One only needs to casually review Tunisian newspapers to see that they're all the same, carrying virtually no criticism of governmental actions.

TMG releases and protests:

• WPFC protests attack on journalist and representative of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) member group, Sihem Bensedrine at Tunis Airport -- August 26, 2008
• TMG protests attack on journalist and representative of IFEX member group, Sihem Bensedrine at Tunis Airport -- August 20, 2008
• TMG Appalled at Assault on Sihem Bensedrine and Omar Mestiri -- March 5, 2008
• Letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon -- January 18, 2007
• TMG Mission's Response -- April 2006

TMG reports:

• "I am not the first journalist in Tunisia to suffer this fate, but I hope to be the last." -- Interview with Tunisian journalist Slim Boukhdir -- August 22, 2008
• Here is a recent link to an English Al Jazeera documentary regarding human rights in Tunisia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lCGkbmivck
• Freedom of Expression in Tunisia: The Siege Holds -- April 2007
• Deception and Lies: Freedom of Expression Still Under Siege 6 Months After WSIS -- TMG's 3rd report on Tunisia -- May 2006
• Freedom of Expression in Tunisia: The Siege Intensifies -- TMG's 2nd report on Tunisia -- September 2005
• Tunisia: Freedom of Expression Under Siege -- TMG's report based on January 2005 fact-finding mission to Tunisia
• Report by Mark Bench on Mission to Tunis -- January 2005

TMG Joint Actions:

• TMG Joint Action on Omar Mestiri -- August 15, 2007
• TMG members express concern over banning, censorship of publications -- January 24, 2007
• Freedom of Expression in Tunisia Still Under Siege Over One Year After WSIS -- January 19, 2007

IFEX-TMG Joint Statements:

• Written Submission by International PEN, the International Publisher's Association and World Press Freedom Committee to the Universal Periodic Review session to be held 7-18 April 2008 -- November 19, 2007
• Freedom of expression groups urge Tunisia to release Mohammed Abbou and all other remaining prisoners of opinion -- March 1, 2006