TUNIS, Tunisia - A prominent Tunisian journalist who had criticised his government was freed on Tuesday after serving a six-month prison sentence, his wife said. Taoufik ben Brik was convicted last year on assault charges that his lawyer and media watchdog Reporters Without Borders say were trumped up. He had written stories critical of President Zine El Abidine ben Ali for French media, including the news weekly Le Nouvel Observateur. Ben Brik was released from prison early Tuesday, according to his wife, Azza Zarrad. "These six months of detention were six months too much, for it was completely obvious that Taoufik was a victim of trumped-up charges to pay the price for his freedom of thought," Jean-Francois Julliard, the head of Reporters Without Borders, said in a statement. The media watchdog noted that, even as Ben Brik was being released, another Tunisian online journalist and rights activist was being jailed. It said Zouhaier Makhlouf was beaten up in custody after being arrested last week for tarnishing Tunisia's reputation. Tunisian authorities have not commented on the case. A lawsuit against a third Tunisian journalist is also due to resume this week. Tunisia is considered relatively progressive on issues such as women's rights, but is also known for having a strict government hand on the media and an overbearing police presence. Rights groups say the media crackdown hardened in October after ben Ali was re-elected for a fifth term with 89 percent of votes.
