Tunisian activists fear post-revolution gains may be slipping due to pressures and threats from hardline Islamists and supporters of the ruling Annahda Party, Media Unlimited director Magda Abu-Fadil told Washington-based Al Hurra TV in an interview from Beirut.
Abu-Fadil had referred to activists like Slim Amamou in a Huffington Post piece and reiterated his and others’ concerns about restrictive controls on traditional and online media.
Asked how Annahda could fight social media when the party was using such tools to disseminate its message, Abu-Fadil replied: “Attacks or piracy are often used by regimes to counter adversaries.”
She added that oppressive governments often resorted to various measures to promote their ideas and attack opponents such as bloggers, activists and journalists who seek a wider margin of freedom in their countries.
“Social media are a necessity for all,” Abu-Fadil said on B-Link, a segment of the Al Hurra show “Al Youm.”