A Tunisian judge has prohibited radio and television news programs from reporting on the cases involving prominent opposition figures accused of conspiring against the state’s security in recent months, according to the official news agency TAP on Saturday. This decision raises concerns about rights in Tunisia since President Kais Saied gained additional powers in 2021, enabling him to rule by decree and exert control over the judiciary.
The court spokesperson, Hanan el-Qadas, informed TAP that the investigating judge from office 36 of the anti-terrorism branch has issued an order to prohibit media coverage of two cases related to conspiring against state security. El-Qadas later clarified that the order applies only to “audio-visual media” and aims to maintain confidentiality of case details and safeguard the personal data of those involved.
In recent months, judges have detained or initiated investigations into more than 20 individuals with political, judicial, media, and business affiliations to the opposition, accusing some of plotting against state security. The primary opposition parties have criticized the arrests as politically motivated, while human rights organizations have urged Tunisian authorities to release the detainees. So far, neither the Interior Ministry nor the Justice Ministry has publicly commented on the arrests.
President Saied has labeled the detainees as terrorists, criminals, and traitors, asserting that judges who release them would be seen as aiding them. The opposition accuses Saied of orchestrating a coup by shutting down parliament in 2021, ruling by decree, and drafting a new constitution that was ratified last year with low voter turnout, granting him extensive powers.
Critics argue that Saied has dismantled the democratic system established after the 2011 revolution, which also led to one of the most free media environments in any Arab country, where the press regularly voiced government criticism. Saied refutes claims of staging a coup and maintains that his actions were legal, necessary to save Tunisia from chaos and corruption.
