Tunisia / Middle East & North Africa

New York, May 25, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the continued judicial harassment of lawyer and media commentator Sonia Dahmani, amid escalating attacks on press freedom in Tunisia, including the obstruction of journalists covering public protests. The sustained targeting of journalists, commentators, and independent voices signals a dangerous deterioration of civic space and media…

New York, May 12, 2026 — For years, Tunisia was viewed as one of the few post-Arab Spring success stories for press freedom in the region. In the decade following the 2011 revolution, journalists gained greater space to investigate corruption, criticize authorities, and report more openly than anywhere else in North Africa. Those gains, while…

New York, May 8, 2026 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Zied el-Heni and stop prosecuting journalists under repressive laws for their reporting and commentary, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday after a Tunis court sentenced him to one year in prison. On May 7, authorities convicted El-Heni, founder of the…

New York, April 28, 2026—Tunisian authorities must immediately release journalist Zied el-Heni, who has been placed in pretrial detention over a social media post last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.  El-Heni, editor-in-chief of independent news site Tunisian Press, was arrested on April 24, 2026, after complying with a summons to appear before…

New York, April 13, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to repeal the April 13 appeals court decision to uphold the conviction of Tunisian political commentator and lawyer Sonia Dahmani while reducing her sentence to 18 months in prison. Dahmani is currently free, but she risks being arrested at any moment, her…

New York, January 26, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the three-and-a-half year prison sentences handed down to prominent Tunisian journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies for tax evasion, which are widely seen as in retaliation for their reporting.  Zghidi and Baaies, who work for the local independent radio station IFM, have been behind bars…

New York, January 8, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release jailed Tunisian journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek and ensure she receives urgent, adequate medical care following reports that her health has severely deteriorated in prison. “Denying detained journalist Chadha Hadj Mbarek timely and urgent life-saving medical care is…

New York City, December 19, 2025 – Since President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power in 2021, Tunisia’s press freedom landscape has narrowed sharply. A single piece of legislation—Decree-Law No. 2022-54 on combating “crimes related to information and communication systems”—has become the legal hammer used to silence critics, criminalize routine reporting, and imprison at least five…

New York, November 27, 2025 — The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the Thursday release of Tunisian commentator and lawyer Sonia Dahmani, who had been held since May 2024 over comments made during a television appearance, and calls on authorities to clarify the conditions of her release and ensure she can work and move freely….

New York, November 12, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release political commentator Sonia Dahmani, ensure she receives urgent medical care, and end her judicial harassment.  On November 11, the Tunis Court of First Instance postponed Dahmani’s criminal hearing, regarding her media comments on prison conditions in Tunisia,…