The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) called Friday for the “immediate release” of journalist Khelifa Guesmi, correspondent of the radio station “Mosaïque FM” in Kairouan, arrested after publishing information on the dismantling of a terrorist cell.

In a statement, the Union called on the deputy public prosecutor to “revise his decision” and to “refer only to decree-law No. 115 when ruling on press and publishing offences.”

The deputy public prosecutor at the Tunis 1 court ordered the journalist to be held in custody for five days for the purposes of investigation and enquiry, in connection with the publication of information about the dismantling of a terrorist cell in Kairouan, as defined in Article 24 of the 2015 anti-terrorism law, the SNJT press release added.

After nine hours of questioning by the National Guard’s National Terrorist Investigation Brigade in El-Ouina, the deputy prosecutor ordered the journalist in question to be taken into custody. The journalist had refused to divulge his sources of information on the basis of the decree-law n° 115 governing the journalistic profession.

The arrest of journalist Khelifa Guesmi, according to the union, is “a new episode in the muzzling of press freedom and the intimidation of journalists since July 25”, denouncing legislation of general scope that has nothing to do with the journalistic profession.

Source: TAP News Agency