Key facts
- Tunisian journalists protested demanding the release of prominent journalist Mohamed Yousfi.
- Yousfi faces charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering, which critics claim are fabricated.
- Yousfi is the editor-in-chief of the investigative news website Al-Qatiba.
- His arrest is seen as part of a broader crackdown on independent voices in Tunisia.
- Several other media figures have been jailed in Tunisia this year.
Tunisian journalists and activists protested outside a court on Tuesday, demanding the release of prominent journalist Mohamed Yousfi. Yousfi, the editor-in-chief of the investigative news website Al-Qatiba, was arrested last Friday and is currently facing questioning over charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering. Critics argue these charges are fabricated and intended to punish him for his outspoken journalism and to foster a climate of fear among independent media.
Zied Dabbar, head of the journalists' syndicate SNJT, told Reuters that journalists who challenge the authorities face legal persecution and fabricated charges, stating, "Today journalists either end up in exile or in prison... But we will resist."
Several other media figures have been jailed in Tunisia this year, including Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies, with Khaoula Boukrim receiving a four-year sentence in absentia in June. Free speech had initially flourished after the 2011 uprising, but critics contend that President Kais Saied's consolidation of power since 2021 has dismantled democratic safeguards, enabling the pursuit of journalists. Opposition leaders, politicians, activists, and businessmen have also been jailed on charges including conspiring against state security, money laundering, and corruption. Saied maintains that freedoms are guaranteed in Tunisia and he will not be a dictator.