Top Tunisian journalist receives defamation sentence
Another journalist has been imprisoned under President Kais Saied’s regime over a complaint from a civil servant, according to AFP.
Mohamed Boughalleb was sentenced to six months in prison by a Tunisian court on 17th April, for utilising Facebook to insult the “honour and reputation” of a woman who works in the Tunisian Ministry of religious affairs.
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Boughalleb suggested that the overseas trips made by the official were a form of “corruption and waste of public resources” on private radio and social media.
The lawyer of the journalist – who is best known for his criticism of political class, Tunisia’s authoritative leader, and investigative work – stated that Boughalleb is “paying for having exercised his freedom of expression.”
Jalel Hammami added that “what happened to [Boughalleb] was a disgrace.”
Calling out Saied’s quest to extinguish democratic freedoms, Zied Dabbar, president of the National Journalists Union (SNJT) said that the incarceration of Boughalleb was “none other than the latest attempt to intimidate and muzzle journalists by exploiting the apparatus of the state.”
According to the SNJT, 20 journalists currently face legal charges that are linked to their work.
Local and international NGOs have observed a decline in the political and social freedoms of Tunisian citizens since Saied dismantled the government and allocated himself complete power.
President Saied is notorious for locking up those who oppose or challenge his regime. Since the beginning of 2024, a number of journalists and activists have been incarcerated, including 82-year-old political party leader, Rachad Ghannouchi.
AFP/Al Jazeera
