Whistleblower Tunisian policeman cleared of one charge

TUNIS (AFP) - A Tunisian police officer held since the end of May for alleging wrongdoing by the interior ministry was acquitted Thursday by the military tribunal in Tunis.

"This is a victory for the revolution and for the people who made the revolution," said the policeman, Samir Feriani, who still faces charges of causing public disorder and defamation.

"I thank the military judiciary which showed itself to be fair," Feriani said, in tears, as he left the tribunal.

Feriani was arrested at the Aouina military base on the outskirts of the capital after publishing two letters in the weekly L'Expert, in which he accused an unnamed interior ministry official of taking part in a crackdown on popular uprisings at Sidi Bouzid in central Tunisia and Kasserine in the west.

He also claimed that the records of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, based in Tunis 1982-94, were destroyed in the days following the overthrow of since president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in January.

The military tribunal ruled on this issue on Thursday after Feriani was released conditionally last week but said the civil courts would have to examine the other charges.

Feriani, who worked as a police officer at the interior ministry for 20 years, has become a symbol of freedom of expression to many of his compatriots.

While he was in prison, several demonstrations of support took place in Tunis and his backers opened a Facebook page.

© 2011 AFP