Tunisia judge orders release of journalist following accusations of ‘insulting’ president News
Ithar25, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tunisia judge orders release of journalist following accusations of ‘insulting’ president

A Tunisian judge ordered the release Thursday of prominent journalist Zied El-Heni who was detained on allegations of insulting Tunisian President Kais Saeid. The decision comes amidst growing concerns about freedom of expression and press freedom in the country.

The judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to justify El-Heni’s continued detention by the Fifth Central Division for Combating Information and Communication Technology Crimes and that the arrest was an infringement upon his freedom of speech.

El-Heni was taken into custody on Tuesday after criticizing a law that criminalizes insulting the head of state in a television interview. The arrest sparked outrage among press freedom advocates who raised concerns over the increasing crackdown on dissenting voices in Tunisia.

Tunisia has faced significant political and social challenges, including concerns regarding the erosion of democratic norms and civil liberties under Saeid. Yassine Jelassi, head of the Tunisian National Journalists’ Union (SNJT) at a press conference in February, said, “It is clear that freedoms are threatened and face an imminent peril.”

Saeid has defended his measure as necessary to tackle corruption and restore stability.

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