Tunisia court frees TV host held over comments on president

A Tunisian military court on Thursday ordered the release of a television journalist arrested last month after strongly criticizing President Kais Saied, his lawyer said.

Zitouna TV presenter Amer Ayad had been arrested in October along with MP Abdellatif Al-Alaoui, who appeared on his show.

The pair were held on charges of “plotting against state security,” Ayad’s lawyer Samir Ben Omar said at the time.

In the show, they both criticized the president’s Sept. 29 appointment of Najla Bouden as Tunisia’s first female prime minister.

Ayad was released on parole Thursday, Ben Omar said.

His trial continues, however, and the next hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 20, the lawyer added.

Alaoui, a MP for the Al-Karama party, had been released a few days after his arrest.

Al-Karama is an ally of the Ennahdha movement which had the largest number of seats in the parliament that Saied suspended in July.

On July 25, citing an “imminent threat,” Saied also sacked the government and put himself in charge of the prosecution.

On Sept. 22, he suspended parts of the constitution and installed rule by decree.

Alaoui had branded Saied’s measures a “coup” in the show hosted by Ayad.

Zitouna TV is considered close to Ennahdha and its ally Al-Karama.