Tunisia urged to release journo

2009-11-10 09:58

Paris - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has urged the Tunisian government to release an ailing journalist from jail so he can receive medical treatment, a spokesman said on Monday.

Kouchner wrote a letter to his Tunisian counterpart over the weekend to ask that Taoufik Ben Brik "be released immediately so he can be hospitalised," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bernard Valero said.

Reporters Without Borders says Ben Brik has Cushing's Syndrome, a disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissues to high levels of the hormone cortisol. The Tunisian national has written for French media including Le Nouvel Observateur magazine.

"His health is worrying his family and loved ones," Valero said, adding that France had raised the issue with other EU countries. "The news we have is not good."

Reporters Without Borders says Taoufik Ben Brik was detained October 29 for allegedly harassing a woman on the street. The group says it believes the allegations were trumped up in an effort to muzzle him.

Ben Brik's trial is expected to start on November 19, the media advocacy group said, adding that Monday was his 49th birthday.

The reporter has often criticised President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was re-elected for a fifth term days before Ben Brik's arrest. Human rights group often criticise Tunisia for muzzling freedom of expression.

- SAPA