Naziha Réjiba, Tunisia, Kalima

Réjiba co-founded Kalima in 2000 with prominent journalist Sihem Bensedrine, herself a frequent government target. A year later, the two founded the press freedom group Observatoire de la Liberté de la Presse, de L'Edition et de la Création (OLPEC). Both Kalima, which went online after being denied the right to publish a print edition, and OLPEC are banned in Tunisia.

In 2007, after ignoring a series of anonymous threats against her and her family, Rejiba was subjected to a vile smear campaign featuring obscene, fabricated photos of her husband, lawyer and former Member of Parliament Mokhtar Jellali. In 2008, vandals hacked into Kalima and shut down the site. When Réjiba wrote an article accusing the government of involvement in the vandalism, she was summoned to appear before a public prosecutor. Although she has not been charged, lawyers said that under the press law she could still face up to three years in prison for publishing “false news.”