Tunisia detains journalist, escalating press crackdown

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 28 April 2026 |  JP Global Monitoring

Tunisian authorities detained journalist Zied el-Heni over a social media post criticizing a court ruling and opened an investigation under Article 86. He has begun a hunger strike and is due to face trial on April 30, raising press freedom concerns.

Summary

TUNIS — Tunisian authorities have placed prominent journalist Zied el-Heni in pretrial detention over a social media post criticizing a judicial decision, intensifying concerns about the country’s deteriorating press freedom environment.

El-Heni, editor-in-chief of the independent outlet Tunisian Press, was arrested on April 24 after responding to a summons by the Fifth Central Unit for Combating Information and Communication Technology Crime in the capital. His detention stems from a post in which he criticized a ruling involving fellow journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa.

Legal case centers on controversial cybercrime provision

He is being investigated under Article 86 of Tunisia’s telecommunications code, a provision that carries penalties of up to two years in prison. Press freedom groups have repeatedly warned that the law is overly broad and increasingly used to target online expression, particularly criticism of public officials or judicial actions.

According to information shared with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), El-Heni began a hunger strike on April 26 to protest his detention. His trial is scheduled to begin on April 30. Authorities have not publicly commented on the case.

Advocates argue that applying criminal statutes such as Article 86 to journalistic expression undermines Decree-Law 115, which stipulates that journalists should be prosecuted under press laws rather than general criminal provisions.

Pattern of prosecutions raises alarm

El-Heni’s case is not isolated. In recent months, Tunisian authorities have pursued multiple legal actions against journalists. On March 30, 2026, journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa was sentenced to two years in prison in a case dating back to 2022. Earlier in April, journalist Sonia Dahmani was sentenced to 18 months in prison, though both remain at liberty pending further legal action.

El-Heni himself has faced repeated legal pressure. In 2023, he was arrested twice over remarks made during a radio program and later received a six-month suspended sentence. He is currently being held at Mornaguia prison in Tunis.

The CPJ has called for his immediate release, warning that the use of vaguely defined legal provisions signals a broader pattern of judicial harassment targeting journalists and restricting critical reporting.

WHY THIS MATTERS: Tunisia’s increasing reliance on cybercrime and criminal laws to prosecute journalists highlights a global trend that could influence regulatory approaches elsewhere. For Pakistani media professionals, it underscores the risks of broadly worded digital laws being used against journalists and the importance of clear legal protections for press freedom in the digital space.

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting by JournalismPakistan, based on publicly available statements from the Committee to Protect Journalists (April 28, 2026) and local journalist accounts cited by CPJ (April 2026).

PHOTO: (Screenshot: YouTube/IFM/Circulated by CPJ)