President of the National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT), Zied Dabbar, has described the prosecution procedures of of journalist Zied El Heni as a "legal scandal". He added: "The unjust imprisonment of three journalists for doing their job is unprecedented in the history of journalism in Tunisia.' Dabbar was speaking at a meeting organised by the SNJT on Wednesday on the forms of escalation to be decided to defend rights and freedoms and demand the release of journalists Zied El Heni, Khelifa El Guesmi and Chadha Haj Mbarek. He stated that "far from seeking immunity, journalists are demanding working conditions that guarantee freedom of expression and the exercise of their profession without threat." The SNJT president recalled that since 2011, Tunisian journalists have been campaigning against prosecutions on the basis of the Telecommunications Code. However, he pointed out that 31 journalists were prosecuted in 2023, including 8 under Decree Law No. 2022-54 of September 13, 2022 on combating offen ces related to information and communication systems. Zied Dabbar called for a trial date to be set as soon as possible for journalist Khalifa Guesmi, who he said was 'unjustly detained.' The head of te SNJT said the 'President of the Republic has adopted a double discourse, embracing the principles of the revolution on the one hand and acting against freedom of expression on the other. Today, the judiciary is targeting freedom of expression and voices defending freedom of expression," he added. For his part, the former president of the SNJT, Yassine Jelassi, pointed out that a policy hostile to freedom of expression had been confirmed by Decree-Law 54, which "obstructs the work of journalists and subjugates the press". According to him, the Zied El Heni affair has shown that free voices critical of the general policy of the state are a source of concern for those in power. The SNJT is planning a series of protests in the coming days to defend freedom of expression and demand the release of Zied El Heni, Chadha Haj Mbarek and Khalifa Guesmi. On Monday, the Public Prosecutor's Office issued a warrant of committal against Zied El Heni for offences against third parties on public networks, as defined in Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code, and set a court hearing for January 10. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse