A court in Tunis on Wednesday sentenced two TV presenters to one year in prison for “spreading false news” and “defaming others” after making critical comments online and in the media, a court spokesman said.
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Broadcaster Boren Bousais and political commentator Mourad Zegidi were arrested earlier this month under Decree 54, a law enacted in 2022 to suppress political dissent. Critics say it is being used to
The two men were sentenced to “six months in prison for creating and disseminating false news and rumors using communication networks with the purpose of violating the rights of others and public safety,” court spokesman Mohamed Zituna told AFP. ” he said.
Zituna was also sentenced to six months in prison for “misusing communication networks to disseminate news containing false information with the aim of defaming others, damaging their reputation and causing material or moral harm.” was added.
Earlier in the day, Bousais and Zegidi said they were only doing their jobs when they made comments deemed critical by authorities.
Decree 54 mandates a maximum five-year prison sentence for “producing, spreading or disseminating false news” using telecommunications networks with the intent to “harm” or “defame” others.
Zegidi was accused of speaking out in February and expressing support for journalist Mohamed Bougareb, who is also in detention.
“My job as a political analyst is to talk about public issues,” Zegidi said during Wednesday’s hearing. “I am neither an opponent nor a supporter of the president.”
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“We would like to know what sentences and words have been found to violate the criminal code,” he added.
According to his lawyer, Busais was arrested for attacking President Kais Saied through radio broadcasts and statements between 2019 and 2022.
“Because I’m a presenter, I have to express all opinions, regardless of their direction,” he told the hearing, adding that he was being arrested as if he were a “dangerous criminal.”
Lawyers for both men denounced Decree 54.
Zegidi’s lawyer, Kamel Massoud, slammed the ruling as “unconstitutional” and said, “When politics enters the court, justice leaves.”
Busais’ lawyer, Khalid Kurich, said there were other ways he could have responded to the criticism.
“The entire nation is being prosecuted under Decree No. 54,” he said.
According to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, more than 60 journalists, lawyers and opposition figures have been charged under the decree since it was signed by President Said and entered into force in 2022.
(AFP)
