RSF denounces continued detention of journalists Bssais and Zeghidi without evidence

In a statement issued on Monday, April 14, 2026, the press freedom organization expressed concern over the continued incarceration of the two media professionals, especially as their case has been deliberated by the criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal, awaiting a decision on their request for release. RSF asserts that the two journalists "are paying with their freedom the price of independent journalism," condemning what it describes as judicial "persecution" against them. The organization highlighted that after more than 23 months of investigations, involving several institutions including Interpol and financial authorities, no evidence of suspicious flows or hidden assets has been established.

For RSF, the continued detention of Mourad Zeghidi and Borhen Bssais is part of a broader context of increasing pressure on journalists in Tunisia. Both men were sentenced in the first instance to three and a half years in prison for financial accusations, a verdict they have appealed. Other organizations, including the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists SNJT, the Tunisian League for Human Rights LTDH, and the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights FTDES, called on Monday, April 13, 2026, for the immediate release of the two journalists.

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