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Press Freedom in the Maghreb

Ahead of the 41st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council set for November 2022, TIMEP has collaborated with partner organizations to submit a series of three alternative civil society reports on press freedom in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.


In recent years, there has been a steady increase in attacks against journalists and restrictions on freedom of expression in the Maghreb region. The impact of this deterioration in press freedom has only been underscored amid protests and critical moments of transition for Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. 

Ahead of the 41st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council set for November 2022, TIMEP has collaborated with partner organizations to submit a series of three alternative civil society reports on press freedom in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Based on evidence collected by partner organizations and in consultation with human rights defenders, journalists, and lawyers on the ground, each alternative report unpacks the legal framework governing press freedom and incidents of violations to press freedom in these three countries since their last UPR cycle. Each alternative report is accompanied by a complementary advocacy fact sheet that highlights key takeaways and recommendations for States to raise as they engage in the upcoming UPR cycle:

The UPR is a mechanism of the UN created to examine the human rights record of all UN member states. It presents a unique opportunity for civil society organizations to underscore and highlight critical human rights issues taking place in the country under review, to identify recommendations the country should implement in response, and to hold the country to account under its international legal obligations.

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