Mediaboss Marketing

5 July 2012 Last updated at 00:47 ET

The Tunisian commission tasked with reforming the country's media has resigned, citing government censorship.

Kamel Labidi, head of The National Authority for the Reform of Information and Communication, said it "does not see the point in continuing its work".

The body was created to draft new media laws after the fall of the former regime in 2011.

But the new democratically-elected Islamist government has been accused of returning to old, repressive ways.

Referring to the recent dismissal of heads of state-owned radio and TV channels by the government, media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday:

"In the absence of clear legislation respecting international standards, senior public broadcasting personnel are being appointed in a way reminiscent of the old regime's methods."

Announcing the shutting down of the independent media commission, Kamel Labidi accused the government of failing to take any concrete action to improve press freedom and implement new media laws.

In particular, both the commission and Reporters Without Borders have expressed concern about the government's failure to implement decrees 115 and 116, which are designed to ensure the protection of journalists and provide the basis for regulating new audio-visual media.

"The body warns of the gravity of the situation in the realm of information and accuses the government of reverting to forms of censorship and disinformation," Mr Labidi said.

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Tunisia media commission resigns