Tunisian lawyers on Wednesday decried the ongoing “judicial harassment” of political commentator Mourad Zeghidi, who remains detained despite his lawyer’s assertion that he should have been released.
Zeghidi’s defence committee stated at a press conference that his continued detention serves to “intimidate” critics of President Kais Saied.
Arrested in May 2024 for critical statements, he initially received a 12-month sentence, later reduced to eight.
His legal team argued he should have been freed in January. However, a new arrest warrant was issued while Zeghidi was still in custody.
Lawyer Fethi Mouldi expressed his shock at the timing of the warrant, noting it came just before his client’s expected release.
The new warrant reportedly relates to alleged money laundering, a charge that falls under Tunisia’s anti-terrorism legislation. Mouldi denounced this as “judicial harassment against a moderate journalist used to silence and intimidate others.”
Rights groups have voiced concerns over the significant erosion of civil liberties in Tunisia following President Saied’s consolidation of power in July 2021.
Tunisia’s ranking in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders global press freedom index has fallen by 11 places. Zeghidi’s sister, Meriem Zeghidi, emphasized that her brother is imprisoned for expressing his opinions and professional political analysis, not for financial crimes.
Zeghidi is scheduled to appear before investigators on May 15 for a hearing concerning the alleged money laundering. Lawyer Ghazi Mrabet asserted that Tunisia lacks an independent justice system, accusing authorities of attempting to silence dissenting voices.
Numerous critics of President Saied have faced prosecution and detention under Decree 54, a 2022 law criminalizing the “spreading of false news.”
The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) reports that over 60 journalists, lawyers, and opposition figures have been prosecuted under this decree.
Other opposition figures have also been charged with plotting against state security in recent mass trials, resulting in substantial prison sentences.