Berlin, September 24, 2023
The Law and Democracy Support Foundation said today that Tunisian cartoonist Taoufik Amran is expected to appear for questioning tomorrow morning, Monday, before the Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Tunis. He will be investigated on charges of insulting others through social media.
Amran had published a satirical cartoon on his Facebook page “Amran Cartoni” in early August, criticizing the choice of Ahmed Hashani as Prime Minister of Tunisia. The Tunisian authorities considered this an insult to the Prime Minister and arrested him at his home in the Mokrin area of Ben Arous Governorate on Thursday evening, September 21. They interrogated him in the absence of his lawyer and detained him until the Ben Arous Prosecutor’s Office released him the next day. He was then summoned to appear before the Public Prosecutor in Tunis.
The Foundation added, “Amran faces the risk of imprisonment for up to a year if convicted. This incident came after a series of continuous attacks by the Tunisian authorities on the right to freedom of expression, which poses a serious setback to the spaces of freedom that the Tunisian people gained after overthrowing Ben Ali’s rule, which has become clear that it is eroding day by day.”
The Law and Democracy Support Foundation called on the Tunisian authorities to respect the constitution and international legislation that guaranteed freedom of expression, drop the charge against cartoonist Taoufik Amran and stop his trial, and stop using criminal trials and security prosecutions to terrorize those with opinions.
