Tunis — The National Authority for Access to Information (French: INAI) has so far received 8,034 access to information requests.

The INAI has settled 6,237 files and ruled in favour of petitioners in 2,408 others, forcing the relevant public authority to provide the information requested, said chairwoman of INAI's judicial unit Judge Naima Dhibi.

Speaking at a press conference organised Tuesday by the Tunisian Association for Governance and Social Responsibility on "Access to Information in Tunisia", Dhibi pointed out that journalists were the least likely to request access to information, with a rate of 1.9% (only 121) of all files brought before the INAI.

"Journalists generally work in the context of news reporting, while requests for access to information require a relatively long time and are often handled by investigative journalism," she explained.

Dhibi further said that the monitoring, follow-up and evaluation unit within the INAI oversees the activity of 841 public structures, out of a total of around 6,000 structures subject to the law on access to information, due to its limited resources.

Individuals have submitted 5,545 requests for access to information out of the 8,034 requests received by the INAI, she added.

Legal entities, represented by civil society organisations and some institutions and companies, have lodged 2,489 requests, and 1,797 files are still being reviewed by the INAI.

The INAI is an independent public authority with legal status and financial autonomy, created by Organic Law No. 2016-22 of March 24, 2016 on the right of access to information in order to guarantee the exercise of this constitutional right.