On March 19, 2025, journalist “Haythem El Mekki” and university professor and former president of the Tunisian School of Politics, ”Salwa Charfi”, have been summoned to appear as suspects before the Fifth Central Unit for Combating Information Technology and Communication Crimes, on the morning of Friday 21 March, 2025, based on posts published on their personal social media pages.
It’s important to note that last year, an investigation was initiated against journalist “Haythem El Mekki”, who was accused based on Article 24 of Decree 54, following a complaint submitted by “Habib Thameur” Hospital in Sfax, due to posts he published on one of his social media pages, in which he addressed the hospital’s capacity to handle corpses, in light of the increasing number of deceased Sub Saharan migrants.
In this context, the Intersection Association For Rights and Freedoms strongly condemns these legal actions targeting journalists and academicians for expressing their opinions and exercising their freedom of expression.
As well as it expresses its full solidarity with journalist “Haythem El Mekki” and academician “Salwa Charfi”, for the challenges they have faced as a result of exercising their right to freedom of expression.
To conclude, the Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms warns against the legal proceedings and systematic human rights violations carried out by political authorities against freedom of opinion and expression, that aim to intimidate citizens through deterrent prison sentences, based on Decree 54 and other provisions that tighten freedom of expression, which have become repressive tools the authority uses in an attempt to return to a state of authoritarianism and suppress dissenting opinions.