Wednesday, 9 September 2026 |Author: Andrew Michael | Screenshot: Son FM/YouTube|
Tunisian authorities have arrested a prominent journalist critical of President Kais Saied’s government, prompting renewed concerns over the use of financial crime charges against independent media.
Mohamed Yousfi, editor-in-chief of investigative news website Al-Katiba, was detained on Friday by officers from a financial crimes unit as he was about to enter private radio station Express FM in Tunis.
He had been due to appear on a programme to discuss Tunisia’s ongoing water crisis.
The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) said Mr Yousfi was questioned about his journalism, his work at Al-Katiba and posts he had published on Facebook.
The union said he had also been subjected to an online smear and incitement campaign in the weeks before his arrest.
An investigating judge subsequently ordered Mr Yousfi to remain in pre-trial detention while an investigation continues into allegations of illicit enrichment and money laundering involving an organised group or association.
But his detention has drawn condemnation from press freedom groups.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the allegations raised concerns that financial crime laws were being used to target journalists who criticise the government.
“Mohamed Yousfi’s arrest, following an online harassment campaign and questioning about his journalism, raises serious concerns that financial crime allegations are being used as pretext to target another critical journalist,” CPJ regional director Sara Qudah said.
Mr Yousfi later fell ill while in custody and was taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove his appendix, according to SNJT president Zied Debbar.
He remained in hospital on Monday and had not been allowed visitors, Mr Debbar said.
Growing pressure on journalists
Mr Yousfi is now one of four journalists imprisoned in Tunisia in connection with their work, according to CPJ.
Radio commentators Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies are serving three-year prison sentences after being convicted on financial crime charges.
Their cases have raised concerns that financial investigations are being used to prosecute journalists critical of the authorities.
Another journalist, Zied el-Heni, is serving a one-year prison sentence for allegedly “harming others” through his commentary.
CPJ has called for the release of all four journalists and urged Tunisian authorities to end what it described as the imprisonment and judicial harassment of members of the press.
Tunisian authorities did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment.
The latest arrest comes amid growing pressure on Tunisia’s independent media since President Saied’s decision in 2021 to assume sweeping powers, dissolve parliament and rule largely by decree.
Rights groups and journalists’ organisations have repeatedly accused the authorities of restricting freedom of expression and using the courts to silence government critics.
The government has rejected accusations that it is targeting journalists for political reasons, saying legal action is based on alleged offences and that no one is above the law.
