June 9 (Reuters) - A Tunisian court sentenced prominent journalist Khaoula Boukrim to four years in prison in absentia, she said on Tuesday, in a ruling critics say highlights a growing crackdown on critical voices and free speech under President Kais Saied.
The ruling against Boukrim is the latest move against journalists following the jailing earlier this year of several media figures, including Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies.
Boukrim, founder of the news website TUMEDIA who fled to Paris in December, was informed that two separate judgements had been issued against her under Decree-Law 54, a cybercrime law enacted in 2022 that includes strict penalties for online publication offences.
Rights groups say the law has increasingly been used to prosecute government critics and curb free speech, while authorities say it is needed to combat misinformation and online abuse.
"I was forced to leave to Paris when I learned that legal cases were being prepared against me because of my critical positions toward the president and those around him," Boukrim told Reuters.
