MOURAD
ZGHIDI
Mourad Zghidi is a Tunisian journalist sentenced in January 2026 to three years and six months in prison on money laundering and tax charges widely seen as retaliation for his journalism.
- Country
- Tunisia
- Role
- Journalist
- Arrested
- 1 May 2024
- Sentence
- Three years and six months in prison.
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Held without verdict for
766 days.
Days in pre-trial detention since the morning of 1 May 2024. Counter live · updates daily at 00:00 UTC
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Arrest
Arrest
Mourad Zghidi was arrested and charged with money laundering, tax fraud, and disseminating false information.
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Verdict
First conviction under Decree 54 for political commentary
On 22 May 2024, Mourad Zghidi and fellow IFM radio host Borhane Bessis were jailed for "spreading false news" under Tunisia's Decree Law 54 against cybercrime. Zghidi was questioned about a Facebook post and nine video clips from his IFM radio show in early 2024 supporting journalist Mohamed Boughaleb. RSF said the journalists' "only 'crime' was to comment on and criticise political decisions" by President Saied. Sources: France 24, RSF, CPJ.
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Verdict
Conviction and sentencing
A Tunisian court convicted Zghidi and sentenced him to three years and six months in prison on charges of money laundering, tax fraud, and false information.
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Verdict
Fresh 3.5-year sentence on money-laundering and tax charges; assets confiscated
On 22 January 2026, a Tunis court sentenced Zghidi and Bessis to three years and six months' imprisonment on charges of money laundering and tax-related offences. The ruling also imposed fines, ordered the confiscation of their assets, and provided for the seizure of their shareholdings and associated rights in companies in which they hold shares, for the benefit of the public treasury. CPJ characterised the case as part of Tunisia's widening crackdown on the press beyond Decree 54. Sources: Al Jazeera, CPJ, allAfrica.
Approved
The arrest, and what followed.
Background and Work
Mourad Zghidi is a journalist based in Tunisia. Details of his specific outlets and reporting focus remain limited in available documentation, but his arrest and prosecution align with a well-documented pattern of judicial harassment targeting the Tunisian press since 2021.
Tunisia's media environment has deteriorated sharply in recent years. Journalists who report on corruption, governance failures, or political repression face arrest under charges unrelated to the content of their work. Financial crimes — money laundering, tax evasion, and foreign-currency violations — have replaced direct censorship as the preferred legal mechanism for silencing the press.
The Arrest
Zghidi was arrested on 1 May 2024. Authorities charged him with money laundering, tax fraud, and disseminating false information. The charges followed the pattern established in dozens of other cases: prosecutors invoke financial statutes that shift the burden of proof onto defendants and carry sentences heavy enough to deter others in the profession.
No evidence has been made public linking Zghidi to criminal financial activity. The inclusion of a false-information charge suggests that the prosecution was at least in part a response to his journalistic work, though the state has not acknowledged that connection.
Legal Proceedings
Zghidi remained in pretrial detention for more than eighteen months. On 22 January 2026, a Tunisian court convicted him and sentenced him to three years and six months in prison. Journalist Borhane Bessis, tried alongside him, received an identical sentence on the same charges.
The trial took place in a judicial system that has been systematically instrumentalized to prosecute journalists. Defendants in such cases are frequently denied access to evidence, held in prolonged pretrial detention, and sentenced in proceedings that lack the procedural safeguards required under international fair-trial standards.
Detention Conditions and Health
No information is currently available regarding Zghidi's conditions of detention or his health. Tunisian prisons are severely overcrowded, and political detainees — including journalists — are often held in facilities where medical care is inadequate and family visits are restricted.
International Response
The case has drawn attention from international press-freedom organizations as part of the broader crackdown on independent journalism in Tunisia. Human rights groups have called for Zghidi's release and for an end to the use of financial and administrative charges as tools of political repression.
Sources on file with HuMENA EditorialReading time · 6 minutes
Tunisia's courts have become a mechanism for silencing the press, and Mourad Zghidi's imprisonment is part of that system.HuMENA Editorial · 2026
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Compiled by HuMENA's Tunisia research team from primary documentation, public filings, family-supplied legal documents, and confidential partner reporting. Editorial responsibility: HuMENA Editorial Board.
Editorial sign-off · published