Al Jazeera Reporter Detained by Tunisian Officials

Tunisian officials have detained a reporter from Al Jazeera, as stated by the network’s bureau chief in Tunis, Lotfi Hajji, on Thursday. This incident raises concerns about the increasing number of journalists imprisoned in Tunisia.

Samir Sassi, an Al Jazeera journalist, was arrested following a raid on his home by security forces late Wednesday. Hajji disclosed that the authorities did not provide any explanation for Sassi’s arrest, nor did they reveal his current location. The Tunisian authorities have not issued any official statement on the matter.

During the raid, security personnel also confiscated Sassi’s computer, phone, and the phones of his wife and children. Since President Kais Saied’s abrupt consolidation of power in July 2021, Al Jazeera’s bureau in Tunisia has been shut down, though its journalists have continued to operate and report in the country. The closure of the bureau was not accompanied by any official justification.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has criticized Tunisia for suppressing free speech, highlighting over 30 journalist arrests in 2023. In a letter addressed to President Saied, the IFJ expressed grave concern over the frequent incarceration of journalists, which they argue violates Tunisia’s constitutional provisions on freedom of expression and media rights.

The IFJ specifically mentioned the case of Tunisian journalist Zied El Heni, who was arrested on December 29 for criticizing the Tunisian Commerce Minister on his radio show. Heni, a notable figure during the 2011 uprising that led to the Arab Spring, remains in detention with a trial set for January 10.

The IFJ described Heni’s situation as indicative of a broader policy of using legal proceedings and the judicial system to intimidate and imprison journalists systematically.

The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, expressed significant concern last summer about the Tunisian government’s crackdown on media, citing vaguely defined laws used to criminalize dissent.

Currently, seventeen journalists in Tunisia are facing trial, with Heni and others being prosecuted under Decree 54. This decree imposes up to ten years of imprisonment for spreading “false news.” Anthony Bellanger, the IFJ’s general secretary, earlier this week accused the Tunisian government of using this legislation to silence journalists and critics of the president.