The attacker innocented and the victim prosecuted
While expecting to be summoned as a plaintiff in the case where he had been assaulted by a militian of the ruling party, Mouldi Zouabi, senior reporter at Radio Kalima and founding member of the Pen Club Tunisia, just received a summon to appear at the District Court Jendouba next July 14, to face charges of "aggravated violence and public insults" against his aggressor, the so-called Khalil Maaroufi.
The case dates back to April 1st 2010, when the journalist was attacked by a henchman known to be close to the police and manager of a cafe close to the courthouse in Jendouba (North west), called Khalil Maaroufi.
The assault took place up to the Central Police Station of the Jendouba District, the guy jumped out of a tainted windows car (in Tunisia only police officers and government members are allowed to drive such cars), asked whether if he was called Mouldi Zouabi and as soon as the latter had answered positively, he beated him and broke his glasses; Then the henchman threated him and vulgarly insulted him, calling him a "traitor to the homeland" who "dirts the country's image" and "will pay for his betrayal”. While Mr Zouabi was down, he snatched from him his ID, credit card, driver license, IFJ press card, an audio recorder and other personal documents.

Mouldi Zouabi had lodged a complaint the same day before the public prosecutor's department of Jendouba after having been examined by a doctor who issued a medical certificate attesting on injuries from the assault. Lawyers of the Human Rights League of the Jendouba Section had accompanied him to court and noticed his bad condition.

He has learned now that his complaint was closed for "insufficient evidence" and that the assailant pursued him for acts which he had been a victim himself!
 

Background

Mouldi Zouabi is very well known reporter for his social reporting on the blighted region of north-west which exposed the deceitful propaganda of the regime on economic performance and poverty eradication.
Due to that he suffered from a constant repression for over a year. His home is under constant surveillance by civil policemen who harasses his family. His Internet connection continues to be arbitrarily cut off since February 2010 despite a lawsuit that he filed; The Publinets near his home in Bousalem he is used to go had all been closed. This forces him search for other internet café all around Jendouba governorate in order to achieve his work.
He was arrested on January 28, 2010 at Montplaisir’s police station in Tunis and detained for more than eight hours, while preparing to interview Mr Mohamed Bouebdelli, director of the University of Tunis.

The Observatory:

•  notes that this new lawsuit against a journalist, occurs in the context of the promulgation of a new law called the “traitors' law” which criminalizes any form of criticism of the gouvernement policy. Mr Mouldi Zouabi is also accused of being a traitor who "undermines the country's image";

•  denounces the judicial harassment and the denial of access to justice that Mouldi Zouabi suffers from, as many of other human rights advocates;  that denial coincides with a supposed "Justice Reform" conducted with funding from the European Union .

•  Calls for wide support with the journalist who will appear on next July 14 and will face a summer court that usually treat urgent criminal cases, predicting a speedy justice; Mouldi zouabi is risking a 3 years sentence.