“Each postponement is another day behind bars for the two journalists who have been convicted of “money laundering” and “tax evasion” without evidence. More than 23 months of investigations involving Interpol, the Central Bank and the European authorities have produced nothing: no suspicious transfers, no hidden assets. Mourad Zeghidi and Borhen Bsaies are paying for independent journalism with their freedom. This persecution must end now and both media professionals must be released immediately and unconditionally.”

After being convicted for the first time in July 2024 and sentenced to eight months in prison under Decree-Law 54 for “spreading false news,” the two journalists were preparing to regain their freedom when new arrest warrants were issued in December 2024 on charges of money laundering and tax evasion. “Once again, our request for conditional release has been rejected, without it being possible to understand what justifies our father remaining in detention while awaiting a final judgement,” condemned Inès, Mourad Zeghidi’s daughter. This lack of understanding is all the more justified given that after more than a year and half of investigations conducted with the Central Bank, Interpol and the European authorities found no suspicious financial flows, hidden assets or questionable transactions. Yet on 22 January 2025, the criminal chamber sentenced both journalists to a further three and a half years in prison, all while confiscating their assets and seizing their company shares — measures that seriously and lastingly undermine their professional and economic situation.

This latest postponement and refusal to grant release come against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the media sector: the weaponisation of Decree-Law 54, the suspension and harassment of independent media outlets, the blocking of press cards, and tighter restrictions on the foreign press.Tunisia ranks 129th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index.