Foreign embassies in Tunis asked to help imprisoned journalist's family

Reporters Without Borders has written to foreign embassies in Tunis to request their support for the family of Slim Boukhdir, a journalist who has been held in Sfax prison, 230 km south of Tunis, for the past six months. “The press freedom situation in Tunisia is extremely worrying,” the letter said. “The few opposition news media that have a licence to operate are subjected to a great deal of political and financial pressure and their employees are exposed to enormous administrative difficulties. Tunisian freelance journalists working for foreign news media or news websites are harassed by government agents and sometimes attacked. “After long being the target of this kind of intimidation, Slim Boukhdir was arrested and convicted on highly dubious charges. His wife, Dalenda Boukhdir, and his two children, Rachid and Karama, aged six and two, suddenly had to learn how to live without him. The international community's involvement in this case would be a source of encouragement for the family even if it failed to shift the Tunisian authorities. We therefore hope you will agree to receive Dalenda Boukhdir at your embassy in order to express your support for her.” The letter was sent on 26 May, the day that Boukhdir began his seventh month in detention. It went to more than 20 embassies, including those of Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Japan. Aged 39, Boukhdir is the correspondent of the London-based, pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi and the website of the satellite TV news station Al-Arabiya. He also writes for other news websites including Tunisnews and Kantara. Arrested during a police ID check in Sfax on 26 November 2007, he was sentenced the following month to one year in prison for “insulting behaviour towards an official in the exercise of his duty” and “refusing to produce his identity papers.”