BREAKING NEWS

Tunisian TV channel owner jailed, claims censorship

By REUTERS

AUGUST 30, 2012 19:36

TUNIS - The owner of a private television channel was jailed in Tunisia on Thursday pending trial for corruption, an official said, in a case he has described as an attempt to stifle the media.

Sami Fehri, who launched the channel in partnership with Belhassen Trabelsi, the son-in-law of former President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, handed himself over to the authorities after an arrest warrant was issued a few days ago.

In an Internet video broadcast shortly before, he said the government was punishing for him for a comedy program on his channel that mocks symbols of power - thereby muffling the media and giving up gains made when Ben Ali was ousted last year.

"The only winner of the Tunisian revolution is freedom of expression, and freedom of expression is threatened today," Fehri said.

"Tounissia tv" broadcast a satirical program called "Political Logic" which made fun of Tunisia's President Moncef Marzouki, Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the ruling Islamic Ennahda party.

"We believe that this is an attack on the freedom of expression," Fehri's defence lawyer Sonia Dahmani told Reuters. "The issue is political and came after weeks of pressure on Fehri and the airing of the program on the channel."

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