Tunisian Journalist Accused of Insulting a Public Official to Face Trial Next Month

A prominent Tunisian journalist was put under pre-trial detention on a judge’s order after a Tuesday hearing in which he dangled the prospect of publishing reporting on corruption and the misuse of public funds by several ministers and public institutions. Mohamed Boughalleb’s court hearing came four days after he was arrested in Tunis on suspicion of insulting a public official on social media. As Tunisia heads to a presidential election later this year, Boughalleb’s arrest was the latest to earn condemnation from free speech advocates in the country where pro-democracy demonstrators sparked the Arab Spring last decade…His arrest is the latest example of officials in Tunisia referring complaints to public prosecutors using a controversial 2022 law that free expression and civil liberties advocates have said is increasingly being misused to silence journalists and opponents of the government. The law, known as Decree 54, was intended to combat cybercrime but rights activists say it has been used to prosecute high-profile journalists and opposition figures. (AP)