"The criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced radio journalists Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi to three and a half years in prison on Thursday for money laundering, a judicial source told Tunisia's state TAP news agency. The conviction adds to a growing list of cases against opposition figures, journalists, and other perceived critics of President Kais Saied, who rights groups say has overseen a wide-reaching rollback on freedoms since taking office in 2019."
"Bssaies and Zghidi were first jailed in May 2024 on charges of spreading false news under Tunisia's controversial Decree Law 54 against cybercrime. Press rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the journalists' only crime' was to comment on and criticise political decisions by Saied. Before serving their eight-month sentence, Tunisia's judiciary brought additional tax-related charges, which the journalists' defence says are based on routine tax matters. RSF described the case as legal persecution and urged Tunisian authorities to immediately release Bssaies and Zghidi."
Radio journalists Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi were sentenced to three and a half years in prison by the criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance for money laundering. The conviction follows their May 2024 jailing on charges of spreading false news under Decree Law 54 and additional tax-related charges that their defence calls routine. Reporters Without Borders described the prosecutions as legal persecution, saying the journalists were punished for commenting on and criticising political decisions. Rights groups link the sentences to a broader crackdown that has seen opposition figures given lengthy jail terms.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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