By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
TUNIS, Tunisia – This past Tuesday, the District Court in Menzel Temime found two journalists, Sofiane Chourabi and Mehdi Jlassi, guilty of “drunkenness and public indecency.” Each were ordered to pay a 104 dinar ($67) which consisted of an 100 dinar fine for indecency and a four dinar fine for drinking alcohol in public during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The two were arrested on August 5th for drinking alcohol on a Kelibian beach where they were camping. The trial was the result of a case brought by a man claiming that he was a victim of the “moral offense.” Chourabi and Jlassi could have faced six-months in prison.
“I will appeal the court’s decision because it confirms accusations which I totally reject and deny,” said Chourabi. “It is an unfair trial, completely made up and baseless. It is about intimidating the opponents of Ennahda’s policies.”
Chourabi insists that he and Jlassi did not disturb anyone. He claims that at the time of the arrest the two were asleep in their tents in an isolated place. He also alleges that the confession he made back in August was phony and forced “under police pressure.”
Chourabi first gained notoriety for his criticisms of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali policies. Since Ben Ali had been removed, Chourabi has been critical of the current ruling Islamist party Ennahda. A day before his arrest, he had called for a demonstration before the Interior Ministry to protest moves by the religiously conservative Ennahda party that would serve to stifle public freedom.
Fines for drunkenness and indecency are necessary to maintain public order, however, they should not be used harass and unfairly bully the ruling party’s opposition.
“Restrictions of individual freedoms in the name of public order must be necessary and proportionate, and must never be used as an excuse for prosecuting government critics and other political activists,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa program.
She went on to say that “[t]hese convictions must be quashed, and the Tunisian authorities must refrain from prosecuting individuals who freely exercise their fundamental rights, including their right to freedom of expression.”
“It is disappointing to see that at a moment when Tunisia should be proving its commitment to human rights, these convictions send out quite the opposite message and are reminiscent of practices under Ben Ali.”
For further information, please see:
Amnesty International – Tunisia Must Overturn Journalists’ Convictions – 30 October 2012
Daily Star Lebanon – Tunisian Anti-Islamist Blogger Fined for ‘Indecency’ – 30 October 2012
Middle East Online – Tunisian Anti-Islamist Blogger Fined for ‘Indecency’ – 30 October 2012
Tunisia Times – Tunisie: Sofiane Chourabi et Mehdi Jelassi Condamnés à 104 Dinars D’Amende – 30 October 2012
