A Tunisian court on Thursday convicted and sentenced two prominent journalists, Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi, to three and a half years in prison on tax evasion charges, a move their families say is retaliation for their reporting.
The journalists, who worked with local radio station IFM, have been in custody since 2024. They were initially jailed for eight months after being convicted of spreading false news and insulting the president, before being placed in pre-trial detention over the tax case.
President Kais Saied has repeatedly denied allegations that his administration is curtailing press freedom.
Reacting to the ruling, Zghidi’s sister, Maryem Zghidi, said the family was shocked by the verdict, describing the charges as baseless and politically motivated due to her brother’s independent journalism. She said the judgment was an attack on press freedom and freedom of expression, adding that attempts to silence her brother would not succeed.
The families of both journalists are expected to appeal the ruling.
Critics have accused the Tunisian government of intensifying a crackdown on dissent since Saied began ruling by decree in 2021, targeting opposition figures, journalists, and civil society activists.