During the opening ceremony of the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis on Wednesday, delegates from across the globe were amazed when the Swiss president, Samuel Schmid, directly criticised Tunisia for its policy of restricting free speech. "It is, quite frankly, unacceptable for the United Nations to continue to include among its members states which imprison citizens for the sole reason that they have criticised their government on the internet or in the media," he said.