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Tunisia's international image deteriorates amid journalist imprisonments

Tunisia is gaining international media attention for the imprisonment of its journalists, rather than for achievements in science, sports, or arts. The ongoing appeal trial of journalist Mourad Zeghidi has become a symbol of the country's increasingly repressive policies, drawing comparisons to the pre-2011 revolution era. Major international media outlets, including BFMTV-RMC, Marianne, L'Humanité, Ouest-France, So Foot, and L'Équipe, have covered Zeghidi's case, highlighting concerns about press freedom and the perceived authoritarian shift in Tunisia. BFMTV-RMC reported on the distress of Zeghidi's family and the perceived political nature of his detention. Marianne described his incarceration as a symptom of the Tunisian regime's authoritarian hardening, contrasting it with the democratic hopes of the Arab Spring. L'Humanité presented Zeghidi as a journalist punished for his profession, emphasizing the gap between 2011 democratic aspirations and current realities. Ouest-France noted the case's national significance in France, linking it to a broader decline in public freedoms in Tunisia. So Foot and L'Équipe, both sports publications, highlighted the embarrassment of a well-known sports commentator like Zeghidi being associated with political imprisonment, signaling a deep reputational damage. Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists have also called for the immediate release of Zeghidi and his colleague Borhen Bssaïs, framing their cases