World
Tunisian journalists jailed for criticizing the government, sparking outcry over press crackdown
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- Two Tunisian journalists were sentenced to one year in prison for criticizing the government.
- Each journalist received six months for disseminating “fake news” and an additional six months for “making false statements with the aim of defaming others.”
- Both journalists denied the allegations, citing Tunisia’s laws protecting freedom of expression established after the 2011 revolution.
A Tunisian court on Wednesday sentenced two TV and radio journalists to one year in prison for criticizing the government on their programs and on social networks.
Borhane Bsaïs and Mourad Zeghidi were each given six months’ imprisonment for disseminating “fake news” and an additional six months for “making false statements with the aim of defaming others,” in reference to Tunisian President Kaïs Saied, court spokesperson Mohamed Zitouna said.
The sentences come less than two weeks after both were arrested. They are among a broader group of journalists, activists and lawyers charged under Decree 54, a law criminalizing the dissemination of “fake news” aimed at harming public safety or national defense.
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The law, passed in 2022 to fight cybercrime, has been widely criticized by rights advocates who say the offenses are vaguely defined and are being used to crack down on the president’s critics.
Journalists display their press cards during a protest highlighting threats to press freedom and the resurgence of authoritarianism, following the arrest of Radio Mosaïque’s general manager, Noureddine Boutar, on Feb. 16, 2023, in Tunis. A Tunisian court on Wednesday sentenced two TV and radio journalists to one year in prison for criticizing the government. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, File)
Both Bsaïs and Zeghidi denied the allegations. In court, they referred to laws protecting freedom of expression that Tunisia enshrined after its 2011 revolution, when it became the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to topple a longtime dictator. Both said they were simply doing their jobs, analyzing and commenting on political and economic developments in Tunisia.
“I am neither for nor against the president. Sometimes I support his choices, sometimes I criticize them. It’s part of my job,” Zeghidi said.
Bsaïs, host of the radio show “Emission Impossible” (“Impossible Program” in English) was accused of undermining the president on the air and in Facebook posts made between 2019 and 2022. It’s unclear why authorities targeted old posts like his as they pursue a growing number of Saied’s political critics.
He defended his opinions and in court objected to being brusquely arrested last week “like a dangerous criminal.”
The trial has drawn international condemnation and sparked criticism in Tunisia, where many journalists gathered in front of the court in a show of support.
“We are all on provisional release because any journalistic work can give rise to prosecution,” Zied Dabbar, president of Tunisia’s National Journalists Syndicate, said of Decree 54. He said 39 journalists have been prosecuted under the law this year.
Saied has faced criticism for suspending parliament and rewriting the constitution to consolidate his own power three years ago. Critics have spoken out against the government’s approach to politics, the economy and migration in the Mediterranean in the years since.
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World
Ferry tickets to Capri were temporarily halted due emergency
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Thousands of keen island-hoppers had to remain on Italian mainland as the mayor of one of the country’s most popular islands, Capri, temporarily banned tourists.
A water emergency prompted the mayor of one of Italy’s most popular islands, Capri, to order a halt to the arrival of tourists on Saturday. The move was prompted by a water crisis that has deprived some areas of any water supply.
Mayor Paolo Falco said that without a water supply, it is impossible to guarantee essential services to “thousands of people” who travel to the island daily during the tourist season.
“The health and hygiene situation is explosive, we have taken our countermeasures and activated the crisis unit and issued a restrictive order,” he said.
The emergency was caused by a failure in the mainland’s water system that provides vital supplies to the famous island.
At the moment water is still being supplied to most of Capri, but some isolated areas of the upper municipality of Anacapri are already dry. Only local reservoirs supply the network, which in the absence of supplies from the mainland risks being run out.
Meanwhile, tanks are expected to reach the island to support essential services that require water.
The Mayor’s order was notified shortly after 9am causing an immediate stop to boat crossings.
The move has created long lines of passengers at the ticket offices at the ports of the southern city of Naples, the departing point for most ferries to Capri.
Ferries and hydrofoils that had already departed for Capri were contacted by radio by the maritime authorities, which ordered them to return to the mainland.
World
No fairytale return to Germany for Lewandowski
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World
Medical intern surprises would-be sexual abuser with hidden talent: 'Those lessons saved my life'
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Thai medical intern fights off drunken male nurse
A petite Thai medical intern uses Muay Thai kicks to fight off a drunken male nurse assaulting her in a hospital. Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22, said she was working a nightshift when the colleague crept up behind her and groped her. (via ViralPress)
A medical intern in Thailand fought off a drunk nurse who tried to grope her one night, busting out fighting skills that helped her kick her would-be assaulter to the curb.
“I have been doing Muay Thai boxing since I was a kid,” Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22, told reporters. “I know how to kick, knee and punch someone. I know how to wrestle with them. It was my instinctive reaction to protect myself.”
“I’m lucky my grandfather taught me self-defense skills when I was a young girl,” she added. “Those lessons saved my life.”
CCTV footage from around midnight shows the 30-year-old male nurse approaching Petcharaporn from behind as she picked up some food before leaving for the night. He first circles behind her as though just wandering around the area aimlessly before turning and reaching for her.
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Petcharaporn Phadungjai, a 22-year-old medical intern in Thailand, fought off a would-be sexual abuser with Muay Thai. (ViralPress)
As soon as the nurse’s arms wrap around the intern, she grabs him and drives him back towards the far wall. He keeps a strong grip on her, but as soon as she faces him, she drives her knee into his groin, giving herself a chance to pull free.
Once separated, she kicks him again, striking him in the stomach before setting into a defensive stance and yelling at him to back off.
DOZENS ARRESTED AS THAI POLICE DISMANTLE CRIME NETWORK THAT FACILITATED LONG-TERM STAYS FOR FOREIGNERS
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A petite Thai medical intern used Muay Thai kicks to fight off a drunk male nurse assaulting her in a hospital. Speaking out publicly for the first time since the incident, Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22 (pictured) said she was working a nightshift when the colleague crept up behind her and groped her in Samut Prakan, Thailand. But he was unaware that her hobby is Muay Thai boxing, and she kneed him in the crotch then kicked him in the stomach to subdue the alleged attacker.
The hospital reported the incident to the police and fired the nurse as allegations that he had similarly harassed other female interns emerged, ViralPress reported.
Petcharaporn said she had ordered dinner but could not pick it up herself, so the nurse, who was drinking at a neighboring food stall, offered to bring it to her. She had to go to the general ward, because men are not allowed in the women’s ward.
THAI TOWN OVERRUN BY WILD MONKEYS LAUNCHES CAPTURE AND RELOCATION OPERATION
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Muay Thai fighters warm up ahead of a Rajadamnern World Series Muay Thai tournament at Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on March 9, 2024. (Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“When he arrived, he told me to scan the QR code to pay for the food,” Petcharaporn said. “I placed the phone on the desk, and that’s when he grabbed me from behind.”
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She alleged that the nurse had flirted with her during her internship, often calling her “darling” or indicating he liked her, but she had treated it as teasing. She also revealed that she feared that he would try to rape her if she didn’t fight him off.
Thailand suffers a significant sexual violence problem, with at least seven women sexually assaulted or abused per day, according to a report from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC).
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