TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Tunisian court has dismissed a drug charge against a prominent blogger and a photographer.

Defense lawyer Ridha Riddaoui said Friday night that the court had taken the appropriate action in light of blogger Aziz Amami’s allegations that he was beaten by police when he was arrested.

Activists accuse the police of using harsh drug laws to target those they disagree with.

Amami’s outspoken blog gained widespread attention during the 2011 revolution.

Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa on May 15 described Amami as a good person and called the harsh drug penalties “out of sync.”

At a protest outside the court house, the blogger’s father Khaled Amami said that “police are taking revenge against the authors of the revolution, it is a return to the police state.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.