On a Friday morning in Tunis, journalist Mohamed Yousfi walked toward a radio studio and was stopped before he could speak — a small moment that carries the weight of a much larger reckoning. A judge ordered him held on charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering, but press unions and rights advocates see the arrest as part of a deliberate campaign to quiet the voices that hold power to account in Tunisia. Since President Kais Saied began consolidating authority in 2021, the space for independent journalism, legal advocacy, and civic dissent has grown measurably smaller. What is being t
Tunisia orders arrest of critic journalist Mohamed Yousfi on financial charges
Journalist Mohamed Yousfi detained on charges of illicit enrichment and money laundering; multiple other journalists, lawyers, and activists arrested or imprisoned in 2026.