Tunisian Journalist Imprisoned on Trumped-up Charges
Our friends at IFEX's Tunisia Monitor Group inform us that a court in Tunisia has charged dissident journalist Taoufik Ben Brik with outrageous crimes and put him in prison.
The group reports that the trumped-up charges include "damaging other people's property," "violation of public morality standards," defamation and "extreme aggression." The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Ben Brik, one of the most vocal critics of the regime of President Ben Ali, will remain in custody until the day of his trial, Nov. 19.
A member of the group was able to talk to both Ben Brik's wife and attorney and both told him "this is part of a vengeful campaign to humiliate and punish Ben Ali's critics, in the wake of Sunday's mock elections."
(EPA photo)
The group added that on Saturday, "Ben Ali (above) threatened to take to court what he called a 'tiny minority' of Tunisians cooperating with foreign journalists to cast doubt on the results of the elections and tarnish the image of the country."
The group also reported that another dissident journalist, Lofti Hidouri, "remains under tight police surveillance and received phone threats from the two plain clothes police standing near his home in Al Mourouj, in the Southern suburbs of Tunis."
The group reports that the trumped-up charges include "damaging other people's property," "violation of public morality standards," defamation and "extreme aggression." The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Ben Brik, one of the most vocal critics of the regime of President Ben Ali, will remain in custody until the day of his trial, Nov. 19.
A member of the group was able to talk to both Ben Brik's wife and attorney and both told him "this is part of a vengeful campaign to humiliate and punish Ben Ali's critics, in the wake of Sunday's mock elections."
(EPA photo)
The group added that on Saturday, "Ben Ali (above) threatened to take to court what he called a 'tiny minority' of Tunisians cooperating with foreign journalists to cast doubt on the results of the elections and tarnish the image of the country."
The group also reported that another dissident journalist, Lofti Hidouri, "remains under tight police surveillance and received phone threats from the two plain clothes police standing near his home in Al Mourouj, in the Southern suburbs of Tunis."
The imprisonment has unleashed a storm of international criticism, including groups such as Amnesty International, the World Association of Newspapers and Reporters without Borders.
And now the World Press Freedom Committee.
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