The Tunisian Minister of Justice, Leila Jaffal, had filed a complaint against the director of the “Business News” website, Nizar Bahloul, accusing him of spreading false news and insulting Prime Minister Najla Boden, according to the Journalists Syndicate.
Bahloul is facing charges that may amount to 10 years in prison for publishing a critical article of the Boden government.
The Syndicate stressed that “summoning Bahloul for investigation by a security force on Monday is a systematic attack on the press freedom, a failed attempt to intimidate journalists working in online, and an attempt to stop public debate on the failure of the current government’s policies to manage the economic and social crisis in the country.”
The Tunisian President had issued a number of extraordinary measures, which were followed by pursuing former officials, MPs, judges, human rights defenders, and media organisations in Tunisia, and subjecting them to restrictions, security prosecutions, arrests, and judicial follow-ups.
