Why 404TN Exists
Since July 25, 2021, political power in Tunisia has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of the presidency. Constitutional counter-powers have been eliminated, elected judicial bodies dissolved, independent regulatory authorities subordinated, and critical public commentary criminalized under Decree-Law 54.
When institutional transparency collapses, state failures are attributed to external conspiracies, and public records become inaccessible, rigorous documentary journalism becomes a civic necessity.
“404TN is critical of the concentration and exercise of political power in Tunisia. Our political opposition is clear and disclosed. However, our political position does NOT lower our evidentiary threshold. We apply the exact same verification standard to government statements and opposition claims alike.”
The Four Evidentiary Commitments
Operating rules binding all research dossiers, timeline entries, and public data records published on 404TN.
1. No Fact Without Evidence
We do not publish factual assertions without traceable primary documentation, gazette records, or verified empirical data.
2. Mandatory Attribution
Government declarations, police charges, and opposition allegations are preserved as attributed claims, never presented as settled facts.
3. Transparent Uncertainty
Where continuously published datasets cannot be identified or remain unpublished by state entities, we formally document the omission as a data gap rather than speculating.
4. Provenance Integrity
Every metric displays its reference period, observation type (e.g. preliminary vs annual actual), and institutional source.