The Committee to Protect Journalists joined partner organizations on Thursday to call for an end to the unjust imprisonment of journalists and other human rights defenders in Tunisia.
In a joint statement to Tunisian authorities, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), along with CPJ, and 45
other organizations denounced Tunisia’s ongoing crackdown on freedom of press, including the use of flawed and irregular proceedings to sentence those who criticize government policies, human rights violations, and corruption.
Since President Kais Saied’s power grab in 2021, Tunisia’s press freedom has consistently deteriorated, with
three journalists
currently behind bars,
Zied el-Heni
,
Mourad Zghidi,
and
Borhen Bsaies
.
Among those recently sentenced are political commentator
Sonia Dahmani
, as well as journalists
Haythem el-Mekki
and
Khaoula Boukrim
, both sentenced in absentia.
For years, the government has flagrantly weaponized
Decree Law 54
, a cybercrime law introduced by President Saied in 2022, that makes it illegal “to produce, spread, disseminate, send or write false news with the aim of infringing on the rights of others, harming public safety or national defense or sowing terror among the population.” This law has effectively
criminalised
everyday journalism.
The letter also notes that these journalists are being prosecuted during a
severe heatwave
, making it dangerous for detainees who are being transported in windowless prison vans, handcuffed, and without water for extended periods of time.
Read the full statement in
English
and in
Arabic
.
