Sat, 30 Jan 2010
Tunis (Earth Times) - A Tunisian court on Saturday rejected an appeal filed by journalist Taoufik Ben Brik against a six-month jail term he received after being found guilty of assaulting a young woman. Ben Brik was arrested November 26 and sentenced to six months in prison. He claims he is the victim of a government conspiracy and that his signature on government documents has been forged.
"Supporting the sentence against Ben Brik is great injustice and reflects the desire for revenge," Azza Zarrad, Ben Brik's wife, told the German Press Agency dpa, adding that she will raise the issue to the United Nations.
The 49-year-old journalist, who was arrested shortly after Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was re-elected, was also charged with insulting the woman and damaging her car on purpose.
In the run-up to the election, Ben Brik wrote several articles critical of the president. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said that Ben Brik is "paying the price for his commitment and for the freedom of his voice."
Ben Ali was elected to a fifth presidential term last year, receiving nearly 90 per cent of the vote. Before the election, he had publicly warned that anyone claiming the vote was rigged without furnishing proof would be prosecuted.
The arrest has led to strained relations between Tunisia and Paris, which has registered concern for "journalists and human rights advocates" in Tunisia.
Tunis (Earth Times) - A Tunisian court on Saturday rejected an appeal filed by journalist Taoufik Ben Brik against a six-month jail term he received after being found guilty of assaulting a young woman. Ben Brik was arrested November 26 and sentenced to six months in prison. He claims he is the victim of a government conspiracy and that his signature on government documents has been forged.
"Supporting the sentence against Ben Brik is great injustice and reflects the desire for revenge," Azza Zarrad, Ben Brik's wife, told the German Press Agency dpa, adding that she will raise the issue to the United Nations.
The 49-year-old journalist, who was arrested shortly after Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was re-elected, was also charged with insulting the woman and damaging her car on purpose.
In the run-up to the election, Ben Brik wrote several articles critical of the president. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said that Ben Brik is "paying the price for his commitment and for the freedom of his voice."
Ben Ali was elected to a fifth presidential term last year, receiving nearly 90 per cent of the vote. Before the election, he had publicly warned that anyone claiming the vote was rigged without furnishing proof would be prosecuted.
The arrest has led to strained relations between Tunisia and Paris, which has registered concern for "journalists and human rights advocates" in Tunisia.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.