The 17th Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal has upheld the initial verdict
sentencing journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa to six months in prison, based on Article 86 of the
Telecommunications Code.
Since September 2022, Ghassen Ben Khelifa, journalist and editor-in-chief of the media
outlet Inhiyez, has been subjected to ongoing judicial harassment. He was accused of
managing a social media page containing takfiri (extremist) content, though investigations
later confirmed he had no connection to it. Despite this, a first-instance court sentenced him
to six months in prison for allegedly offending others via the public
telecommunications network.
In response, the Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms condemns the charges brought
against activists and journalists, and expresses its full support and solidarity with Ghassen
Ben Khelifa in the face of this unjust ruling.
Considering this alarming escalation, the Association calls for the immediate dropping of the
malicious charges against journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa and urges swift action to overturn
the prison sentence. It reaffirms the serious threat posed by custodial sentences targeting free
voices in Tunisia.