Journalist Khalifa Guesmi was arrested on March 18, 2022 in the Tunisian city of Kairouan after authorities alleged that his reporting about the dismantling of a terrorist cell illegally disclosed information about government surveillance.
Guesmi was a reporter for local independent radio station Mosaique FM, and its news website, where he covered topics related to terrorism, corruption, and human rights in Tunisia.
On November 29, 2022, a court sentenced Guesmi to one year in prison, but on May 16, 2023, an appeals court increased his sentence to five years. He remained free until police arrested him on September 3, to serve out his sentence, according to a Mosaique FM statement, and news reports.
He was released on March 6, 2024, and acquitted on all charges on June 9, 2025.
Guesmi was held at the Kairouan detention center and his health was stable, according to a colleague who is in touch with the journalist’s family and spoke on the condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.
CPJ emailed the Tunisian Ministry of Interior for comment on Guesmi’s case in late 2023 but did not receive any response.