TUNIS — An
attempt by several
Tunisian police officers to interrupt a popular comedian’s
show, arguing it violated “moral standards”, has sparked fears of a return to
censorship seen under the former dictatorship.
اضافة اعلان
Lotfi Abdelli, also
an actor who is known for his edgy performances, was at a festival in the
coastal city of Sfax on Sunday when police officers securing the event tried to
stop his show.
The police move
came after a scene in which Abdelli criticized the authorities and the police,
repeatedly brandishing his middle finger.
The 52-year-old
called on the crowd to act as witnesses to the “hostile” behavior of “three
police officers” whom he accused of throwing water bottles at him.
Abdelli was able to
finish the rest of his performance.
Many Tunisians have since expressed fears of a
return to the kind of censorship and repression seen under dictator
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s rule, when such satirical shows would not have been
authorized.
A police union on
Tuesday posted “the scene of the show that irritated us” on its official
Facebook page, apologizing for publishing “such triviality” and “nonsense”.
An interior
ministry official told AFP on Tuesday that two officers had filed a complaint
against Abdelli for “violating moral standards”.
Requesting
anonymity, the official said the police union’s statements “do not in any way
represent the official position of the authorities or the interior ministry”.
The interior
ministry published a statement underlining that its “position is only
communicated by official bodies” and that its “duty is to ensure citizens can
exercise their public and individual liberties in the framework of that which
is authorized by law”.
Bassem Trifi, a lawyer and human rights activist,
said the police officers’ move had set a “dangerous precedent”, warning such
intervention was the sign of a “police state”.
The country’s SNJT
journalists’ union meanwhile said reporters who filmed the police “attack”
against Abdelli had been the target of “aggression”.
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