Tunisia arrests journalist amid crackdown on government critics

Tunisia faces criticism as prosecutions of journalists continue under President Kais Saied’s rule.

Protesters chant against President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia, August 20, 2026, demanding the restoration of democracy and calling for the release of jailed activists and journalists amid a worsening economic and social crisis [Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters]

Tunisian police have arrested prominent journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied’s rule, the head of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists told Reuters.

According to local journalists, police said that Yousfi, the editor-in-chief of the investigative news website Al-Qatiba, was brought in on Friday for questioning. The focus of the investigation is unknown.

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Tunisian authorities have not yet commented on the arrest, which is the latest in a string of prosecutions of media figures and activists in Tunisia this year.

Khaoula Boukrim, founder of the news website TUMEDIA, who fled to France last year, was sentenced in June to four years in absentia.

Prominent journalist Zied el-Heni was sentenced in May to one year in prison, while broadcaster Mourad Zeghidi and political commentator Borhen Bsaies were sentenced in January to three and a half years.

Rights groups have warned of a widening crackdown on independent voices in Tunisia under Saied, whose rule has dismantled democratic safeguards, enabling authorities to pursue journalists and critics more aggressively.

On Thursday, Tunisia’s Court of Cassation upheld a mass trial against 40 figures, including opposition leaders, lawyers and human rights defenders convicted of conspiring to overthrow Saied.

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

Tunisia’s Minister of Justice Leila Jaffel said the defendants sought to destabilise the country.

在总统凯斯·赛义德的统治下，突尼斯继续对记者进行迫害，因此面临批评。

2026年8月20日，在突尼斯首都突尼斯市，抗议者高喊反对总统凯斯·赛义德的口号，要求恢复民主，并呼吁释放被监禁的活动人士和记者。此时，突尼斯的经济和社会危机正在恶化。[Jihed Abidellaoui/路透社]

突尼斯全国记者协会主席告诉路透社，突尼斯警方逮捕了著名记者穆罕默德·优素菲，他曾公开批评总统凯斯·赛义德的统治。

据当地记者报道，警方称，调查新闻网站Al-Qatiba的总编辑尤斯菲于周五被带回警局接受讯问。调查重点尚不清楚。

突尼斯三起抗议活动之一：缺水、断电和日益高涨的愤怒

突尼斯公民社会面临越来越大的压力（共3条记录中的第2条），镇压范围不断扩大

列表 3（共 3 项）：自阿拉伯之春以来，突尼斯的物价是如何飙升的？

突尼斯当局尚未对此逮捕事件发表评论，这是今年突尼斯发生的一系列针对媒体人士和活动人士的起诉事件中的最新一起。

新闻网站 TUMEDIA 的创始人 Khaoula Boukrim 去年逃往法国，今年 6 月被缺席判处四年监禁。

著名记者齐耶德·埃尔-赫尼于 5 月被判处一年监禁，而广播员穆拉德·泽吉迪和政治评论员博尔亨·布赛斯于 1 月被判处三年半监禁。

人权组织警告称，在赛义德的统治下，突尼斯对独立声音的镇压日益加剧。赛义德的统治瓦解了民主保障措施，使当局能够更加积极地追捕记者和批评人士。

周四，突尼斯最高法院维持了对 40 人的大规模审判，其中包括反对派领导人、律师和人权捍卫者，他们被控密谋推翻赛义德政权。

“这一判决证实了司法部门并不独立，”律师海法·切比说道。她的父亲纳吉布·切比是反对派领导人，被判处 12 年监禁。

突尼斯司法部长莱拉·贾菲尔表示，被告企图破坏国家稳定。