A Tunisian journalist detained on Thursday for criticizing the interior ministry via social media was released on Friday (April 15), her lawyer told AFP.
Chahrazed Akacha, editor-in-chief of a local news site, remains subject to legal proceedings, added the lawyer, Me Samir Dilou. His detention for posts on social networks criticizing the Ministry of the Interior was strongly denounced by the national union of Tunisian journalists (Snjt), which saw it as a new sign of a ” real decline ” in freedom of expression. expression in Tunisia. He is accused of having ” harmed the peace of mind of others through public telecommunications networks “, according to the Snjt.
These proceedings against the journalist, who was critical of President Kais Saied’s coup at the end of July, were launched following publications on her Facebook account criticizing the Ministry of the Interior. Two days before her detention, the journalist had addressed in a publication on social networks to the Minister of the Interior, Taoufik Charefeddine, accusing him of having ” released his dogs ” to attack him and remove his veil at following his social media criticism of the ministry. In a statement on local television on April 12, Chahrazed Akacha claimed to have already been heard for the first time by the courts after her critical publications for having ” damagedto the dignity of the Minister of the Interior, to the Head of State and to internal security.
The detention of Chahrazed Akacha is a new indicator ” of a real decline in freedom of the press and expression in Tunisia “, deplored the Snjt. ” The judiciary continues to consider journalists who express their ideas (…) as dangerous elements in society,” added the union. At the end of March, the Snjt had already accused the government of using state apparatuses to ” silence and intimidate ” journalists after the detention of a correspondent who refused to reveal his sources.
