Tunisian lawyers have decried what they call “judicial harassment” against political commentator Mourad Zeghidi, detained since May 2024.
Zeghidi was initially sentenced to 12 months for criticising authorities, a term later reduced to eight months by appeal.
Despite completing his sentence in January, he remains imprisoned due to a new arrest warrant issued during his detention.
Lawyer Fethi Mouldi said the warrant, based on alleged money laundering, is a pretext to keep Zeghidi behind bars.
He criticised the use of anti-terrorism legislation in the case, calling it an intimidation tactic against dissenting voices.
“Zeghidi is a moderate journalist, not a criminal,” Mouldi said. “This is clearly meant to silence free expression.”
Zeghidi is now scheduled to appear before investigators on 15 May for questioning related to the new charges.
His sister, Meriem Zeghidi, insisted he was jailed not for corruption but for doing his job as a political analyst.
“He offered political and social commentary,” she said. “That’s not a crime—it’s his profession.”
Rights groups say civil liberties in Tunisia have sharply declined since President Kais Saied’s 2021 power grab.
Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, prompting concerns over authoritarianism and erosion of democratic norms.
Since then, over 60 journalists, lawyers and critics have been prosecuted under Decree 54, which criminalises “false news.”
