Tunisian journos protest anti-terror laws

Tunisian journalists yesterday protested against "repressive" anti-terror laws they say are being used to intimidate the media after a broadcaster was jailed for five years earlier this week.

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the national union of journalists' headquarters in the capital Tunis, chanting: "We are journalists, not terrorists" and "Freedom for the Tunisian press".

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The rally follows a court's use of anti-terrorism laws on Tuesday to increase to five years a jail term handed to Khalima Guesmi, a journalist Mosaique FM radio station, after he appealed a one-year sentence delivered in November.

Guesmi was found guilty of having intentionally disclosed "information relating to operations of interception, infiltration, audiovisual surveillance or data collection", his lawyer said after the latest ruling.

"There is a frank and clear (political) orientation towards lockdown and repression, which targets disobedient media," said Mahdi Jlassi, president of the journalists' union.

"We are once again raising the alarm against the rollback of freedoms in this country and the legal proceedings targeting journalists, lawyers and trade unionists, and other people for comments, articles, or even a song."