Tunisia Detains Prominent Journalist in Ongoing Crackdown on Government Critics

Published On 4 Sep 20264 Sep 2026

Tunisian authorities have detained prominent journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a known critic of President Kais Saied’s administration, according to the head of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists.

Local journalists report that police detained Yousfi, editor-in-chief of the investigative news website Al-Qatiba, on Friday for questioning. The specific focus of the investigation remains unclear.

This arrest marks another development in a series of prosecutions targeting media professionals and activists in Tunisia this year.

In June, Khaoula Boukrim, founder of the news website TUMEDIA, was sentenced to four years in prison in absentia after fleeing the country. Earlier, in May, prominent journalist Zied el-Heni received a one-year prison sentence. Additionally, broadcaster Mourad Zeghidi and political commentator Borhen Bsaies were both sentenced to three and a half years in January.

Human rights organizations have raised concerns about an expanding crackdown on independent voices in Tunisia during Saied’s presidency, noting that his government has systematically dismantled democratic institutions, providing authorities with broader powers to pursue journalists and political opponents.

Recent legal developments include a ruling by Tunisia’s Court of Cassation that upheld a mass trial involving 40 individuals, including opposition figures, lawyers, and human rights advocates, who were convicted of conspiring to overthrow President Saied.

“The ruling confirms that the judiciary is not independent,” stated Haifa Chebbi, a lawyer whose father, opposition leader Najib Chebbi, was among those sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

Tunisia’s Minister of Justice, Leila Jaffel, defended the conviction, asserting that the defendants aimed to destabilize the nation.

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