THE Tunisian journalists’ union accused authorities on Tuesday of trying to “intimidate the media.”

The accusation came after Justice Minister Leila Jaffel sued a news outlet for “defaming” the prime minister.

The Business News website had published an editorial last week under the title “Najla Bouden, the gentle woman,” reviewing the prime minister’s 13 months in office under President Kais Saied.

The article claimed Ms Bouden had “achieved nothing” since taking up the role in October 2021, accusing the government of “continuing to put sticks in the wheels of Tunisia’s economy.”

Ms Bouden was appointed by President Saied in the wake of a July 2021 power grab that has sparked fears for democracy in the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings.

Mr Saied has since issued a string of presidential decrees seen as repressive by rights groups, including one in September restricting press freedom.

On Friday, Ms Jaffel filed a complaint against Business News for defamation, “false allegations against a public official” and “contempt of the head of government.”

The vice-president of the SNJT journalists’ union Amira Mohamed strongly denied that the column contained any “defamation.”

Ms Mohamed said: “The move to press charges shows that the authorities want to intimidate the media and journalists in order to silence them.

“We condemn this kind of repressive practice, under a draconian text,” she added.

Business News would be the first media outlet to be prosecuted under the September 16 decree.

The law allows courts to issue heavy fines and jail terms of up to five years against anyone “who deliberately uses communication networks and information systems to produce, promote, publish or send false information or false rumours.”

Those penalties can be doubled when the publications are about state officials.