Tunisia, Jan 5 (EFE).- Tunisian prosecutors on Friday ordered the release of Samir Sassi, a journalist for the Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media Network, who was taken into police custody on Thursday for five days on suspicion of “belonging to a terrorist organization.”
Security forces arrested Sassi on Wednesday night at his home in the Tunisian capital without any official reason, after confiscating his personal computer and phone, as well as those of family present.
The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) has called for a demonstration on Jan. 10 in front of the Court of First Instance in the capital to demand the release of their imprisoned colleagues.
In an open letter to Tunisian President Kais Saied published on Thursday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expressed concern about the repression of freedom of expression and the “frequent” arrests of journalists, 30 last year alone.
Al-Jazeera’s office in Tunisia was closed by the authorities in July 2021, a few hours after Saied took full power to “preserve social peace.” Despite the lack of an official reason for the closure, journalists continued to work in premises lent by the union.
On Dec. 29, the Prosecutor’s Office ordered the arrest of another journalist, Zied el-Heni, who will be tried on Jan. 10 for the crime of “spreading fake news” (for which he could face up to two years in prison) after he criticized the Trade Minister during a radio program.
Last year, a military court sentenced journalist Salah Attia to three months in prison for “defaming the army” and “undermining public order” for comments he made in a foreign media outlet.
Khalifa Guesmi was also sentenced to five years in prison under the anti-terrorism law for refusing to reveal his sources on the dismantling of an alleged terrorist cell.
Tunisia fell 27 places in the world press freedom index to 121st out of 180 countries, according to the latest Reporters Without Borders (RWB) report, which describes the president as authoritarian and intolerant of criticism. EFE
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