Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms condemns the judgment issued in absentia against journalist Khawla Boukrim, sentencing her to four years in prison over posts published on her social media account.
The Association denounces the continued criminalization of journalistic work, the repression of dissent, and the targeting of journalists for their opinions or for carrying out their professional duties. This comes amid a broader climate of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and press freedom in Tunisia, as reflected in recent international media reports.
The Association considers that this judgment, issued under Article 24 of Decree-Law No. 54, reflects the growing use of repressive legal provisions to prosecute journalists, bloggers, and media professionals. Such practices entrench a climate of fear and intimidation, threaten the essence of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and undermine the basic guarantees necessary for independent journalism.
Intersection Association further notes that the recurrence of such judgments and judicial proceedings in cases related to publication and journalistic work risks restricting media pluralism and deepening fear and self-censorship within the media sector. This stands in clear contradiction to Tunisia’s constitutional and international obligations to protect freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
