Brussels, 20/10/14 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament Socialist Group (S&D) has welcomed the pardon granted to a young convicted blogger Jabeur Majeri but still remains worried by the political climate just ahead of the general elections on 26 October. The S&D group indicated that it had already “expressed its concern about respect for the freedom of expression in the country”. Victor Bostinaru, the vice-president of the group and in charge of foreign affairs, asserted that the group would remain “vigilant about the situation involving the media, freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Tunisia, particularly in this election period”.
Pier Antonio Panzeri MEP (S&D), the president of the Maghreb delegation and member of the European electoral observation mission, pointed out that “although Tunisians are preparing to vote… several incidents are hampering the effective election campaign operation and are in danger of damaging the credibility of the transition process”. (FB)