Verdict of Om Zied's trial

Journalist Om Zied was found guilty of currency offences by a court in Tunis on 19 November, under her real name of Néziha Rejiba and given a suspended sentence of eight months and a fine of 1,200 dinars (about 800 euros) . Some 15 defence lawyers attended the trial and they initially announced that she had been acquitted but it was the suspended sentence and fine that was registered at the court clerk's office. The lawyers had condemned the charges as "politically rigged to tarnish (their client) because of her political activities and courageous articles." The lawyers contended that the accusations against her were unfounded and that the charges were politically motivated. ____________________________ 28.10.2003 Om Zied's trial adjourned The trial of journalist and human rights Om Zied (real name Neziha Rejiba) was adjourned until 18 November when she appeared in court in Tunis on 28 October charged with foreign currency offences. The judge did not ask her about the case, only her identity. The authorities have prosecuted her after she posted material on the Internet and gave foreign TV interviews. She faces up to five years in prison and a fine. Customs detectives summoned her on 25 September for giving a young Tunisian 170 euros in cash, an offence in some circumstances punishable by five years in prison and a fine. However, she was not at fault, since the law allows her a week to convert foreign currency into Tunisian dinars after returning from abroad, during which time she is free to do what she likes with the money. No official record was made of her summons. ___________________________________ 01.10.2003 Concern about harassment of journalist Néziha Rejiba Reporters Without Borders called on the Tunisian government today to stop its three-year campaign of harassment against journalist and human rights activist Néziha Rejiba ("Om Zied"), who has angered the authorities by material she has posted on the Internet and remarks she has made on foreign satellite TV stations. Customs detectives summoned her on 25 September for giving a young Tunisian 170 euros in cash, an offence in some circumstances punishable by five years in prison and a fine. However, she was not at fault, since the law allows her a week to convert foreign currency into Tunisian dinars after returning from abroad, during which time she is free to do what she likes with the money. "This is just more harassment as part of the long-standing pressure on Rejiba, whose writing and comments the government dislikes," said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. "Tunisia has no press freedom at all and pesters independent journalists in countless ways." "We call on the government, which is very proud of hosting the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, to allow freedom of the media and freedom of expression and stop all harassment of Mrs Rejiba," he said. Rejiba writes for the foreign-based online magazine Kalima (www.kalima.com), which has been banned in Tunisia since it started up in October 2000. Despite access being blocked, a printed version has been secretly distributed in Tunisia. Rejiba has been physically attacked and harassed for three years by police after meetings of the National Freedom Committee, her home is constantly watched and her phone is either tapped or (as at present) cut off.