Arab News | Tunisian government dissolution case against media outlet dismissed

TUNIS: A Tunisian court has dismissed the case against the parent organization of a media outlet the prime minister’s office targeted for dissolution, the publication and its lawyer said.

The Al Khatt association, which has been publishing the investigative news outlet Inkyfada since 2014, faced charges of “failure to comply with certain financial regulations,” their lawyer Ayoub Ghalloussi told AFP on Wednesday.

“The court… decided to dismiss the case. The party seeking the dissolution has withdrawn its request,” said Ghalloussi.

Malek El Khadraoui, co-founder and board member of Al Khatt, said “it’s a relief, but not the end” of their defense against Tunisian authorities.

“For months, we’ve had to defend our right to exist instead of doing our work,” added Khadraoui, who also serves as editor-in-chief of Inkyfada.

“The court rejected the request for dissolution, but part of our funds remains frozen, without any explanation. We will continue to fight, through legal channels, to recover the resources that allow us to work.”

The office of Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani did not disclose the specific grounds for its request to dissolve the organization, nor the reasons for its withdrawal.

Al Khatt is one of several NGOs and civil society organizations that have faced restrictive measures in recent years.

Tunisia emerged as the only democracy of the Arab Spring demonstrations of 2011, but since President Kais Saied staged a sweeping power grab in 2021, rights groups have criticized a major rollback of freedoms.