The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad indicated that it would “take all legal measures to reveal the identities of the holders of social media accounts in order to prosecute them, following the attacks and questionable campaigns of which it is the object, as well as some of its diplomatic and consular representations, in social networks.
This was stated by the Ministry in a statement issued yesterday, Saturday, August 26, 2023, adding that it “will not allow these open sites for communication, positive interaction and constructive criticism to become spaces used by people hidden behind pages and electronic accounts to continually undermine the symbols of the state, the officials of the ministry and its officials” . The latter, the statement added, “are Tunisians and the law protects their honor during the exercise of their functions”.
Anyone who deliberately spreads rumors, relays lies, and damages the honor and reputation of state officials is subject to the law and legal proceedings, insisted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These threats also target people who use the official websites of the ministry and its diplomatic and consular representations to disseminate comments containing false information or relaying insults aimed at undermining the honor of state agents, insisted the Ministry, by threatening to remove the comments in question from its official sites, in accordance with the laws in force, while reserving the right to take legal action against their authors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is therefore joining the campaign launched a few days earlier by the Ministries of Justice, Interior,5ol[‘. and Communication Technologies to suppress “cybercrime and defamation on social networks”.
This subject was also at the center of a meeting at the Palace of Carthage, on August 23, between the President of the Republic Kaïs Saïed, with the Ministers of Justice, Leila Jaffel, of the Interior, Kamel Feki and of Technologies. of Communication, Nizar Ben Neji, as well as with senior security officials.
According to a press release from the presidency of the republic published after this meeting, Saïed stressed that “death threats, attacks on honor, the spreading of rumors, insults and defamation have no connection with freedom of thought and expression”, adding that “there will be no respite in the fight against abuses through the networks qualified as social”.
However, it remains to be hoped, as the President of the Free Destourian Party (PDL), Abir Moussi, pointed out in a video broadcast on social networks, that this eagerness of the President of the Republic and his ministers to want to sanction those who attack the symbols of the State is also valid for political opponents who are also victims of attacks of all kinds through the pages claiming to be the Head of State and sometimes even speaking in his name.
