Two prominent Tunisian journalists, Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi, have been sentenced to three and a half years behind bars, escalating fears about the government’s tightening grip on media and independent reporting in the North African nation.
Bssaies and Zghidi, both affiliated with local radio station IFM, were targeted in what their supporters describe as a politically motivated prosecution aimed at stifling dissent and critical voices within the journalism community.
The sentencing occurred on Thursday, in a court in Tunis, with the charges centered on tax evasion that critics argue are fabricated to punish the pair for their outspoken commentary.
The deeper rationale behind the case appears rooted in a broader crackdown on opposition, as the journalists had previously served an eight-month term for spreading false news and insulting the president before facing pre-trial detention on these new allegations.
Maryem Zghidi, sister of Mourad Zghidi, expressed profound dismay, stating the family was “shocked” by the outcome and viewing it as retaliatory against independent journalism.
“The ruling is an attack on the press and freedom of expression,” Maryem Zghidi said, adding, “They want to silence Mourad’s voice, but we will not remain quiet.”
This development comes against a backdrop of increasing restrictions since President Kais Saied began ruling by decree in 2021, with detractors accusing the administration of systematically targeting journalists, activists, and civil society figures.
Saied has repeatedly denied claims of curtailing press freedoms, insisting his actions are necessary for national stability, though international observers continue to highlight Tunisia’s declining rankings in global media liberty indices.
The families of Bssaies and Zghidi plan to appeal the verdict, hoping to overturn what they see as an unjust punishment designed to intimidate the remaining free press in the country.
