Two popular Tunisian journalists handed three-year jail terms

Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
45m ago
The sentencing of Bssaies and Zghidi reinforces concerns raised by press and rights groups that Tunisia is using criminal prosecutions to pressure journalists and political critics.
Two popular Tunisian journalists handed three-year jail terms
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Key insights

  • 1

    Money laundering conviction follows earlier speech-related charges: The journalists were previously jailed in May 2024 for spreading false news under Decree Law 54, before receiving the new prison sentence for money laundering.

  • 2

    Rights groups link prosecutions to shrinking civic space: The case is presented as part of a wider pattern of prosecutions targeting opposition figures and journalists, which rights groups say reflects a rollback of freedoms under President Kais Saied.

  • 3

    Broader crackdown context highlighted by other sentences: notes other high-profile cases, including an opposition figure sentenced to 12 years for plotting against the state, which rights groups called a politically motivated sham trial.

A What happened
Tunisia’s Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced radio journalists Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi to three and a half years in prison on Thursday on money laundering charges, according to a judicial source cited by Tunisia’s state TAP news agency. The case follows their May 2024 jailing on accusations of spreading false news under Decree Law 54, a cybercrime law that press freedom group Reporters Without Borders has criticised. The convictions come amid broader legal actions against opposition figures, journalists, and other perceived critics of President Kais Saied, with rights groups alleging a significant erosion of rights since he took office in 2019. also references other recent cases, including an 81-year-old opposition figure, Chebii, receiving a 12-year sentence for plotting against the state in a trial rights groups denounced as politically motivated.

Topics

Culture & Society Media World & Politics Human Rights Law & Public Safety Crime & Justice Courts

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