Tunisia's Criminal Chamber has sentenced radio journalists Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi to three and a half years in prison on money-laundering charges, after their May 2024 jailing under Decree Law 54 for allegedly "spreading false news." Reporters Without Borders calls the proceedings "legal persecution" and demands immediate release, saying the prosecutions fit a broader crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied. The convictions follow other high-profile sentences against opposition figures, and Tunisia slipped 11 places in RSF's 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
Tunisian Court Sentences Two Prominent Journalists to 3½ Years — Rights Groups Decry 'Legal Persecution'
Activists and political opponents protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia, January 10 [File: Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters]
A Tunisian court on Thursday handed two well-known radio journalists fresh prison terms, a move critics say forms part of a widening campaign to punish dissent under President Kais Saied.
The criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi to three and a half years in prison on charges of "money laundering," a judicial source told state-run TAP news agency.
The verdict adds to a mounting list of prosecutions targeting opposition figures, journalists and other perceived critics. Rights groups say President Saied has overseen a broad rollback of civil and press freedoms since 2019.
Bssaies and Zghidi were first jailed in May 2024 under Decree Law 54 on cybercrime, accused of "spreading false news." Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the journalists' only "offence" was commenting on and criticising political decisions by Saied.
Before the pair completed an eight-month sentence, Tunisia's judiciary brought additional tax-related charges—allegations the defence says arise from routine fiscal matters rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
Oussama Bouagila, RSF's North Africa director, called the proceedings "legal persecution" and urged the immediate release of the journalists: "So long as journalists are put behind bars for their work, the Tunisian public's right to information will remain seriously threatened."
The case follows a series of high-profile prosecutions, including the December arrest and subsequent 12-year sentence of opposition leader Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, a trial denounced by rights groups as politically motivated. The month before, dozens of other opposition figures were handed sentences of up to 45 years in what authorities described as a "conspiracy" case.
At the same time, Tunisian courts have ordered the release of several high-profile detainees in recent months, including lawyer and Saied critic Sonia Dahmani and journalist Chatha Belhaj Mubarak. RSF warned that such releases "must not remain isolated acts" and should lead to greater respect for press freedom.
In RSF's 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Tunisia fell 11 places to 129th out of 180 countries, reflecting growing international concern about media freedoms in the country.
What Happens Next: The journalists and their legal team are expected to appeal. International press freedom organisations continue to monitor developments and call for their release.
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