Two popular Tunisian journalists handed three-year jail terms

Press rights campaigners slammed the case against Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi as “legal persecution”.Published On 22 Jan 2026‍A Tunisian court has handed new prison terms to two well-known media figures in what critics say is the government’s latest attempt to punish dissent.The criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced radio journalists Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi to three and a half years in prison on Thursday for “money laundering”, a judicial source told Tunisia’s state TAP news agency.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Tunisia hands long prison sentences to opposition, business, media figureslist 2 of 3Tunisia frees prominent lawyer and critic of President Saiedlist 3 of 3Tunisia police arrest opposition figure Chaima Issa during protestend of listThe conviction adds to a growing list of cases against opposition figures, journalists, and other perceived critics of President Kais Saied, who rights groups say has overseen a wide-reaching rollback on freedoms since taking office in 2019.Bssaies and Zghidi were first jailed in May 2024 on charges of “spreading false news” under Tunisia’s controversial Decree Law 54 against cybercrime. Press rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the journalists’ “only ‘crime’ was to comment on and criticise political decisions” by Saied.Before serving their eight-month sentence, Tunisia’s judiciary brought additional tax-related charges, which the journalists’ defence says are based on routine tax matters.RSF described the case as “legal persecution” and urged Tunisian authorities to immediately release Bssaies and Zghidi.“So long as journalists are put behind bars for their work, the Tunisian public’s right to information will remain seriously threatened, along with their legitimate expectation to be properly informed,” said RSF’s North Africa director, Oussama Bouagila.The case follows the arrest in December of the country’s top opposition figure, Ahmed Nejib Chebbi.