ARTICLE 19 strongly condemns the Tunisian authorities’ recent decision to dissolve the Instance Nationale d’Accès à l’Information (INAI). With the government ordering the suspension of all operations, the closure of its headquarters, and the reassignment of its staff to other public offices, this measure eliminates the only independent body mandated to enforce citizens’ constitutional right to access information.
The dissolution of INAI gravely undermines transparency, accountability, and civic participation in Tunisia. By removing this institution, the authorities strip citizens, journalists, and civil society organisations of the only effective mechanism to contest authorities’ refusal to provide information or to compel government disclosure. This decision has not emerged in isolation: since 2021, most of Tunisia’s independent institutions, including the High Independent Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), the electoral commission, judicial oversight bodies, and the anti-corruption authority, have been either dissolved, stripped of independence, or brought under direct executive control, marking a systematic erosion of checks and balances.
Background
Tunisia’s Organic Law No. 2016-22 on the Right of Access to Information was adopted in March 2016, establishing one of the most progressive transparency frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The INAI, created in 2017, became a cornerstone of democratic reform, processing thousands of requests, mediating disputes, and compelling disclosure by state institutions.
The dismantling of this institution not only erases nearly a decade of progress but also signals a worrying return to opacity at a time when Tunisians need more openness, not less. Tunisia, once recognised as a regional pioneer in advancing the right to information, now risks losing that status and undermining hard-won gains for its citizens.