The government’s cruel treatment of Tunisian journalist Abdallah Zouari came to an end on August 1, a reminder that even the most autocratic regimes will yield to international pressure for press freedom. Zouari, a former reporter for the now-defunct Islamic weekly Al-Fajr, had been forced to live under a form of house arrest since his release from prison in 2002 following an 11-year term. Living under what was called “administrative control,” Zouari was subjected to strict police surveillance and forced to reside in the suburbs of the southern city of Zarzis, hundreds of miles from his family. No more.
The banishment, which was punctuated over the past years by police harassment, came to an end shortly after CPJ Executive Director
In an August 21 letter, Zouari thanked CPJ for its “efforts to end the injustice inflicted” on him during those seven years of banishment.
The CPJ decision to side with me and to back my just cause always sharpened my determination and was like sparkling oil lamps that helped me to see through the pitch darkness enveloping my daily life and to remind me that the days of injustice, however long they might be, are numbered and that there would always be people committed to just causes.