Erraï
Arab language newspaper in Tunis, 1977–1987 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erraï (الرأي meaning "Opinion") is a weekly Arab language newspaper which was published in Tunis between December 1977[1] and December 1987.
Hassib Ben Ammar on Erraï:
- "We opened our columns to everyone. Even to Rashid al-Ghannushi (Islamist) and to Mohamed Harmel (Communist), while not supporting their positions. We did this in the name of free expression. I even published an editorial which defended fundamentalists.
- "Nous avons ouvert nos colonnes à tous. Même à Rachid Ghannouchi (islamiste) et à Mohamed Harmel (communiste), alors que nous n'épousions pas leurs positions. Cela au nom de la liberté d'expression. J'ai même publié un éditorial qui prenait la défense des intégristes"[2]
The newspaper was launched by Hassib Ben Ammar, a leading Tunisian politician and journalist/editor. He was a powerful campaigner for human rights.[3] Ben Ammar had co-founded the Tunisian Human Rights League in 1976, and he described the newspaper, at its launch, as "a contribution to the dissemination of democratic ideas".
In December 1987, a few weeks after Zine El Abidine Ben Ali took power, Ben Ammar scuttled the newspaper, of which at this time he was the director.[4] Writing under her pseudonym, Om Ziad (أم زياد), the journalist Naziha Réjiba used the pages of Erraï to warn readers, "Do not be in too much of a hurry to applaud Ben Ali. Do not forget his military past, nor his background with the police. And what if he takes us down a path even worse than his predecessor's? Do not give him a blank check!".[5][6]
The article would enrage the newly installed president, who placed a ban on the edition in question and launched a campaign of intimidation against Hassib Ben Ammar who was cornered into putting an end to the newspaper's publication.[4]
References
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