Journalist and human rights lawyer prevented from attending Arab media forum in Beirut

Journalist Lotfi Hidouri was arrested at Tunis' Carthage airport on 10 December as he was about to take a flight with other Tunisian journalists to attend the third Independent Arab Press Forum in Beirut. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Abbou was also prevented from taking the same flight to attend the forum. “We firmly condemn this violation of their freedom of movement,” Reporters Without Borders said. “There is no doubt that the authorities stopped them from going to the forum because of what they could have said about the state of free expression in Tunisia. The Tunisian authorities use pretexts with no legal basis in a bid to silence those speaking on behalf of a free press.” Abbou, who was released conditionally from prison in July 2007, was prevented from boarding the flight on the grounds and he had no document proving that he was no longer subject to parole restrictions. It was the fifth time he has been prevented from travelling abroad since his release. Hidouri was arrested a few moments later in front of his colleagues as he was about to board the plane. His wife told Reporters Without Borders yesterday that she had received a call from him saying he was being held in the Bouchacha detention centre on the outskirts of Tunis and that he was taken yesterday before a prosecutor in Benarouss, to the west of the capital. Abbou said it was only yesterday that the judicial authorities explained to Hidouri he had been arrested for not paying a fine dating back to 2002. Arresting him to make him pay the fine was completely illegal as he paid it more than a year ago, Abbou added. Hidouri was finally freed yesterday evening on presentation of documentary evidence that the fine had been paid. A correspondent of the London-based news agency Al-Qods Press, Hidouri also writes for the Tunisian online newspaper Kalima. He is subject to regular surveillance by the intelligence services. Abbou was jailed in March 2005 on being sentenced to three and a half years in prison for an alleged assault on a colleague dating back to 2002 and for posting “false information” online. He was granted early release on 24 July 2007.