Mourad Zeghidi and Borhen Bsaies convicted on financial charges after two years in detention, as rights groups warn of widening crackdown on free speech under President Saied.
TUNIS – A Tunisian court sentenced two prominent political commentators to three-and-a-half years in prison on Thursday in a case that has drawn condemnation from international rights organizations, who say the government is using legal prosecution to silence critical voices.
Columnists Mourad Zeghidi and Borhen Bsaies were convicted of money laundering and tax evasion, charges their supporters describe as politically motivated. The two have already been detained for nearly two years over public statements criticizing President Kais Saied’s administration.
The verdict, confirmed by Zeghidi’s sister Meriem Zeghidi Adda in a social media post, extends what was expected to be their imminent release. Both men were due to be freed in January 2025, but remained in custody as prosecutors pursued the financial allegations.
Since Saied assumed sweeping executive powers in July 2021, Tunisia has witnessed a marked decline in press freedom and civil liberties, according to local and international watchdogs. Dozens of journalists, opposition figures, and activists have faced prosecution under Decree 54 – a broad anti-“fake news” law that human rights defenders say is being used to stifle dissent.
The case against Zeghidi and Bsaies is viewed as part of a wider legal offensive that has included mass trials of opposition leaders on charges of “conspiracy against state security.” Tunisia’s standing in global press freedom rankings has also suffered, dropping 11 places to 129th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 index.
The sentencing underscores growing concerns about democratic backsliding in Tunisia, once hailed as the Arab Spring’s sole democratic success story.
