Court proceedings initiated against editor of independent online magazine

Neziha Rejiba, the editor of the online magazine Kalima, was questioned by a deputy prosecutor at the Tunis lawcourt building yesterday over an article in which she blamed the authorities for a hacker attack against Kalima's website on 8 October. Rejiba, who uses the pen-name of Om Zied, could be tried on a charge of “allegations contrary to the law.” At the same time, the interior ministry has banned distribution of Mouwatinoun, a weekly newspaper that printed Rejiba's article in its latest issue. “Kalima and Mouwatinoun are two of the few Tunisian publications that have escaped the control that the regime exercises over local news media,” Reporters Without Borders said. “In 1999, the staff of Kalima, which already included Rejiba, decided to launch an online version of the newspaper because the authorities refused to grant a licence for the print version. Despite the censorship and harassment, Kalima has succeeded in establishing itself as one of the main independent sources of independent news about Tunisia.” The press freedom organisation added: “The hacker attacker on its multimedia website seriously handicapped the staff. We urge the Tunisian authorities to stop hounding independent press outlets in this fashion.” During her appearance yesterday before the deputy prosecutor, Rejiba refused to talk about her articles without her lawyers being president. She was told that the interior ministry had brought a complaint accusing her of “allegations contrary to the law” under article 73 of the press law. Rejiba was already experiencing personal difficulties. Her husband, human rights lawyer Mokhtar Jallali, has been in jail since 15 October in connection with a road accident in which a pedestrian was killed. “My family has been taken hostage by the government,” she said. “My husband was imprisoned although the traffic police reports and the statements of passers-by prove he is innocent. His car hit a pedestrian after being rammed by a reckless driver who was breaking the law.” Rejiba received her summons from the deputy prosecutor a few days after the seizure of the 22 October issue of Mouwatinoun (“Citizens”), which is the mouthpiece of the Democratic Forum for Freedom and Work (FDLT), a legal opposition party. Its editor, Mustapha Ben Jaafar, told Reporters Without Borders he received no official notification that the issue was to be confiscated. Mouwatinoun has had distribution problems since its launch in January 2007 and this had held back its development. “We never succeeded in taking off,” Ben Jaafar said. “We do not sell more than 1,500 copies a week although our members help to sell it. Tunisia's news stands do not get it regularly and most of them keep it out of sight in order to avoid problems with the authorities.” Tunisia was ranked 143rd out of 173 countries in the 2008 press freedom index with Reporters Without Borders issued on 22 October.