Zawaya

Sofiene Ben Hamida

Sofiene Ben Hamida is a Tunisian journalist who has worked in several Tunisian newspapers and foreign wire services, such as Kuwait’s KUNA, and France Inter. Ben Hamida is also a former professor at the Institut de Presse et Sciences de l’Information. Ben Hamida has been involved in human rights issues and has authored several papers on the issue.

Opinions by this panelist

Lowering the voting age in tunisia is an investment... in the long-term

The Tunisian government's decision to lower the voting age to 18 years can be considered a long-term investment that will not have any direct impact on the presidential and legislative elections that will take place next October. The decision of… more

the african union and the tripoli declaration: an empty hand has nothing to give

An old Arab proverb states that "an empty hand has nothing to give". This saying perfectly fits the African Union, which declared the coming year to be a year of peace and security on the black continent. The participants in… more

The dilemma

Morocco was elected unanimously to become a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. This appointment was accompanied by a mass media campaign in Morocco organized by the Moroccan government to highlight this event as evidence of the… more

African migrants in the arab maghreb: ignorance and other things

With the aggravation of the phenomenon of illegal immigration in recent years, North Africa has become a transit area for tens of thousands of young sub-Saharan Africans who dream of a better tomorrow in Europe whose coastlines are close to… more

The borders of mauritania or those of the west?

For the first time since its independence, Mauritania set up 45 border posts in an attempt to restrict the activities of al-Qaeda on the Mauritanian territory, hinder illegal immigration and counter illicit trafficking of drugs and weapons. This decision seems… more

a virtual market for feelings

Everyone knows that the development of new technologies is not always associated with an evolution in their use. The widespread use of the Internet by al-Qaeda and other reactionary organizations inside and outside the Arab region is a living example… more

Abortion: a woman's right

It's not surprising to see the Maghreb countries consider enacting laws that allow abortion in the near future, especially that Tunisia already did that in the fifties of the last century. Given the similarity of the three Maghreb countries -… more

Practicing free journalism instead of talking about press freedom

We can truthfully say that the media in the Maghreb is witnessing one of its worst times ever, and that press freedom is degrading in the entire region. It would be utterly exaggerated, however, to associate the declining freedom of… more

Silence is the ally of rape

There are unfortunately no accurate statistics on the number of rape and sexual assault cases in the Maghreb. However, the number of declared incidents is certainly much less than the actual number. In our societies that are dominated by traditional… more

The generation of revolution and victory

Arab youth have been at the center of attention recently, as the major drivers behind the ongoing social movements in a number of Arab countries, such as Yemen, Jordan, Morocco, Libya and Bahrain. In all these protests and demonstrations, young… more

Independent human rights bodies: yes, but...

Morocco announced the establishment of an independent National Council for the protection and promotion of human rights. The timing of this resolution coincides with the recent changes taking place in the country, in the wake of the King's speech announcing… more

The borders won't be opened

Tunisian youth have recently called for the Moroccan-Algerian borders to be re-opened during next week's football match between the two countries' teams. This is not the first call for re-opening the borders that have been closed between these two neighboring… more

Don't expect anything from the governments

Large numbers of refugees have been fleeing with their families to the Tunisian border areas since the outbreak of the Libyan revolution, escaping from the bloody battles raging between the Libyan rebels and the battalions of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. At… more

throwing sand in the eyes

The Moroccan government knows perfectly well that, although its recent accession to the Pompidou Group, the European agency tasked with combating drug abuse and trafficking, is an important step, this still won't practically increase its capacity to address the drug… more