By Tarek Amara

TUNIS (Reuters) – Since playing a leading role in criticizing Tunisia’s increasingly powerful president, prominent journalist Mohamed Boughalleb has been out of work, part of what he and human rights activists the press consider it a low-key policy to cool dissent.

Boughalleb was well known for his scathing criticism, targeting figures across the political spectrum on his radio show as freedom of expression blossomed after Tunisia’s 2011 revolution.

But as his show ended and job opportunities suddenly dried up this summer, he began to fear that Tunisia’s place as the region’s rare beacon of press rights – the one of the few clear achievements of the “Arab Spring” – is in danger.

There has been no widespread crackdown on news organizations or journalists, and President Kais Saied has promised to respect freedom of expression. But the main union of Tunisian journalists, the Syndicat de la presse, remains worried.

He accused state television of blacklisting guest critics of Saied – charges denied by the broadcaster and the government.

The president has passed a law imposing prison terms on anyone publishing reports deemed to be ‘false news’, and journalists are complaining about what they see as a campaign of intimidation by Saied supporters on social networks.

“How can the president say he is protecting freedoms when mouths are silenced? How will he know then what people expect of him,” Boughalleb said.

Some critics of Saied accuse him of staging a coup by seizing sweeping powers last summer and shutting down parliament to rule by decree, moves he later ratified in a referendum on a new constitution.

Saied said the changes were necessary to confront what he saw as a corrupt elite, and often says he will protect the rights and freedoms Tunisians won in 2011.

“NOBODY SILENCES MY VOICE”

The state news agency TAP continues to frequently cover topics that would be ignored by government media in other Arab countries, including protests against the president.

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And some private outlets also continue to air strong direct criticism of Saied, as well as satirical programs targeting him and his allies, and say they will continue to push the envelope.

But many journalists say they now face a more hostile environment when reporting on issues politically difficult for Saied, such as recent food shortages, or when directly criticizing his policies.

Bougalleb is now doing his own show on YouTube. In a friend’s office, he draws black curtains over the windows as he prepares to film an episode.

“No one will silence my voice,” he said.

He had presented a major show on Shems FM radio for six years, spearheading successive coalition governments and opposition parties, including secularists, Islamists, conservatives and leftists who have dominated Tunisia since 2011.

He was also a frequent guest on political shows on state television and private channels.

When his contract with Shems expired this summer, it was not renewed. Other media outlets he approached told him they couldn’t hire him “on higher instructions,” he said.

“DESPITE EVERYTHING, SPEECH IS FREE”

The head of Shems FM said he could not comment on the contracts. The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on allegations of media restrictions. State television has dismissed accusations that it excludes criticism of Saied, saying it has cut talk shows.

“We will not give up or be silenced. It is a trust that has been paid for by the martyrs of the revolution,” said Amira Mohamed, vice-president of the press union.

Press freedom in Tunisia now faces its biggest challenge since 2011, and the union was ready to call a strike in response, Mohamed added.

At Mosaïque FM, one of Tunisia’s largest independent broadcasters, journalists continue to voice strong criticism of Saied.

In a recent episode of his show, satirical journalist Haythem Makki included scathing reporting on Saied’s new election law, his expansion of influence over the election commission, and the media that Makki sees as siding with the authorities.

“There are legal threats, with years in prison for offenders,” but he would continue to work as he did, Makki said.

Another prominent Mosaïque journalist, Elyes Gharbi, said it had become much more difficult to talk to officials or access previously public information. Government ministers rarely gave interviews, he added.

“Despite everything, there is always freedom of expression. But at the same time, we must resist daily for this to continue,” he said.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara, Writing by Angus McDowall, Editing by Andrew Heavens)