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TUNIS: A Tunisian court has dismissed the case against the parent organization of a media outlet the prime minister\u2019s office targeted for dissolution, the publication and its lawyer said.<\/p>\n
The Al Khatt association, which has been publishing the investigative news outlet Inkyfada since 2014, faced charges of \u201cfailure to comply with certain financial regulations,\u201d their lawyer Ayoub Ghalloussi told AFP on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe court… decided to dismiss the case. The party seeking the dissolution has withdrawn its request,\u201d said Ghalloussi.<\/p>\n
Malek El Khadraoui, co-founder and board member of Al Khatt, said \u201cit\u2019s a relief, but not the end\u201d of their defense against Tunisian authorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor months, we\u2019ve had to defend our right to exist instead of doing our work,\u201d added Khadraoui, who also serves as editor-in-chief of Inkyfada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Al Khatt is one of several NGOs and civil society organizations that have faced restrictive measures in recent years.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n