Prominent Tunisian journalist Zied Heni has been detained after publishing an article critical of the judiciary, according to his lawyer, in a move that has raised fresh concerns about press freedom in Tunisia.
Lawyer Nafaa Laribi said the arrest was ordered by the public prosecutor, though authorities have yet to release an official statement or specify any charges against Heni.
The development comes amid growing criticism of President Kais Saied, whose consolidation of power since 2021 has drawn scrutiny from rights groups. That year, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, a shift critics argue has weakened democratic institutions.
In 2022, Saied also disbanded the Supreme Judicial Council and removed dozens of judges ,actions opponents say undermined judicial independence. The president, however, maintains that the reforms were necessary to tackle corruption and insists that the judiciary remains independent.
Zied Dabbar, head of Tunisia’s journalists’ union, described Heni’s detention as “arbitrary” and warned it reflects a broader effort to intimidate members of the press.
Tunisia had once been viewed as a regional success story for free expression following the Arab Spring, which began with the overthrow of longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. However, critics say recent political developments have reversed many of those gains.
Over the past three years, several opposition figures, journalists, and activists have been jailed on charges ranging from conspiracy against state security to corruption. Saied has denied accusations of authoritarianism, insisting that freedoms are protected and that legal actions target wrongdoing, not dissent.
