Today, Wednesday, the Tunisian judiciary ordered the imprisonment of political program commentator Murad Al-Zughidi and television and radio presenter Burhan Basseis, until the investigation into them is completed.
And it had happened Arrest of media professionals Prominent Tunisians made statements on Saturday night and published blog posts, in a step described by observers as unprecedented in the country towards further restricting freedoms.
Dozens of activists, including journalists, lawyers, and opponents, were exposed during a year and a half for prosecutions And arrests for expressing their opinions or opposing the statements and positions of Tunisian President Kais Saied.
Arrest and trial
In detail, both Murad Al-Zughidi and Burhan Bseis work on the private EFM radio, and a judicial hearing was scheduled for May 22, and they were arrested in parallel with the arrest of the lawyer and commentator on political programs. Saniya Al-Dahmani Forced from the “Lawyer’s House” in the capital.
The official spokesman for the Tunisian Court of First Instance, Mohamed Zaitouneh, confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that the judicial prison order had been issued “to prosecute each of them for the misdemeanors of Chapter 24 of Decree 54 in its first and second paragraphs.”
“Decree 54”
According to what his lawyer, Ghazi Mrabet, confirms, Al-Zughidi is being pursued because of media statements dating back to February 2024, and because of a blog post in which he supported an imprisoned journalist who criticized the president. Kais Saied.
As for Bassais, he is being pursued following media statements and social media posts dating back to between 2019 and 2022, according to what his lawyer, Nizar Ayyad, told Agence France-Presse.
On September 13, 2022, Saied issued a presidential decree known as “Decree 54.” It stipulates a “punishment of imprisonment for a period of 5 years” and a fine of up to 50 thousand dinars “for anyone who intentionally uses information and communication networks and systems to produce, promote, publish, send, or prepare false news, data, rumours, or artificial, forged, or attributed documents.” Lying to others with the aim of attacking the rights of others or harming public security or national defence.”
Anyone who deliberately uses information systems to publish or spread fabricated or forged news, documents, data containing personal data, or the attribution of untrue matters with the aim of defaming others, distorting their reputation, harming them materially or morally, or inciting assault shall be punished. against it, or incitement to hate speech.”