Tunisia’s Press Freedom Continues to Deteriorate Under Decree-Law 54
The release of Tunisian lawyer and commentator Sonia Dahmani in late 2025 brought a brief respite in the country’s escalating crackdown on dissent. However, her freedom remains conditional, with multiple open cases and possible sentences of up to 20 years still pending. Dahmani’s ordeal symbolizes Tunisia’s willingness to treat political speech as a criminal offense, highlighting the country’s deteriorating press freedom landscape.
Since President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power in 2021, Decree-Law 54 has been used to silence critics, criminalize routine reporting, and imprison at least five journalists. The law’s vague provisions have given prosecutors broad discretion to target activists, lawyers, commentators, and ordinary citizens, in addition to journalists. Radio journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies have been detained for over 500 days, despite completing an eight-month sentence, with new investigations effectively extending their imprisonment indefinitely.
Digital media producer Chadha Hadj Mbarek remains jailed on a five-year sentence linked to her work, with reports of deteriorating health and limited access to medical care. Veteran broadcaster Mohamed Boughaleb was issued a new two-year prison sentence under Decree-Law 54, despite contested evidence. These cases reveal a clear pattern of repression, with authorities moving quickly against critics and imposing detention or harsh penalties.
According to the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, at least 39 cases have been brought against journalists for their work since May 2023, with 10 prison sentences issued between April 2024 and April 2025. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has counted at least three journalists still in prison for their reporting or expression. The chilling effect extends far beyond those behind bars, with journalists increasingly barred from covering hearings and trials frequently closed.
The CPJ continues to call for the unconditional release of all journalists jailed for their work, the dismissal of all Decree-Law 54 cases, and the repeal or fundamental reform of the law. Tunisia’s press freedom landscape is deteriorating, with independent journalism becoming functionally impossible and the price of dissent being years of legal retaliation. The country risks cementing a system where freedom of expression is severely curtailed, and the fight is on to keep its information space from closing altogether.
