Tunisian military justice has sentenced a journalist, opposed to the policies of President Kais Saied, to three months in prison for "
attacking the army
", his lawyer Samir Ben Amor told AFP on Wednesday August 17.
In June, the military prosecutor's office opened a judicial investigation against Salah Attia, a journalist with a local daily, following remarks made on the Qatari channel Al Jazeera.
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Salah Attia was sentenced on Tuesday to three months in prison for having "
damaged the army
" and "
incited Tunisians to violence
", according to his lawyer who will appeal.
In his statements to Al Jazeera, the journalist claimed that Kais Saied had "
formally requested military force to intervene against the Tunisian General Labor Union
", the powerful UGTT trade union center, and surround its premises before a strike general.
The army reportedly informed the UGTT of its refusal to meet the president's request, according to Salah Attia.
On Tuesday, Amnesty International called on the Tunisian authorities to "
immediately drop all charges against Salah Attia
".
For this NGO, "
the authorities are perfectly free to contest what the media report about them but without arresting and prosecuting journalists (...) No civilian should be tried before military courts
".
Local and international NGOs have regularly denounced the legal proceedings brought against civilians by military courts in recent years, believing that they have intensified since the coup on July 25, 2021 by Kais Saied who assumed full powers. .
