Tunisia's international image deteriorates amid journalist imprisonments
via Business News4 min read
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
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Abir Moussi, president of the Free Destourian Party PDL, released a letter on Thursday, May 8, 2026, from detention, addressing Tunisians about her judicial situation and what she perceives as a deviation affecting several state institutions. Moussi, an attorney and political opponent, claims the prison administration has so far refused to deduct the period of her pre-trial detention, which began on October 3, 2023, from her sentence. She states that the ten-year sentence in the "reception desk" case has not yet begun to be counted by the prison administration. Moussi asserts she was informed that all her convictions would conclude in 2036, despite the months already spent in pre-trial detention. She views this as a violation of Article 15 of the Penal Code, which mandates the deduction of pre-trial detention from the final sentence, unless explicitly decided otherwise by the court. The PDL leader also claims no official document, written decision, or legal basis has been provided to justify the non-inclusion of her detention since October 2023. She believes her situation transcends a simple judicial dispute and is part of a "political persecution" aimed at permanently depriving her of political and civic rights. Moussi intends to continue her fight through "institutional channels," including appeals, official correspondence, and complaints to various state institutions. She has contacted the Parliament presidency, the Provisional Superior Council of the Judiciary, and the In
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