LONDON: Rights groups have condemned the arrest of prominent Tunisian journalist Zied El-Heni and urged authorities to release him immediately.
El-Heni was detained on Dec. 28, shortly after he criticized Tunisia’s minister of commerce, Kalthoum Ben Rejeb, during that day’s live broadcast of his daily “Emission Impossible” show on independent radio station IFM. Local sources reported that the broadcaster used the Tunisian Arabic word “kazi,” meaning “puppet,” to describe the politician.
The Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday denounced the arrest of El-Heni as politically motivated, and highlighted a pattern of harsh treatment he has received for providing political commentary.
Sherif Mansour, the committee’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said the arrest was “simply cruel and shows that President Kais Saied’s government does not respect press freedom.”
He called on Tunisian authorities to unconditionally release El-Heni and drop all charges against him, emphasizing the crucial need to uphold freedom of the press in the country.
El-Heni’s lawyer said the journalist has been charged with “insulting others on social media” and is being held at Mornaguia prison until trial.
The Tunisian League for Human Rights described the case as a “blatant violation of the law.” It comes amid broader concerns about the deterioration of press freedom in Tunisia. El-Heni was previously arrested in June after he criticized a law designed to punish criticism of the head of state, which critics said is part of a troubling pattern of efforts to suppress dissent.
Since Saied took full control of the country in 2021, Tunisia has slipped 48 places, from 73rd to 121st out of 180 countries, in press freedom rankings compiled by Reporters Without Borders.
The next hearing in El-Heni’s case is scheduled for Jan. 10. He faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
