Tunisia: police arrest journalist critical of Kais Said

Tunisian police have arrested journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a known outspoken critic of President Kais Saied, according to the Middle East Eye via Reuters on September 5th.

Yousfi was invited to appear on Express FM Radio by presenter Walid Ben Rhouma, who said the police took Yousfi in for questioning without giving any reason. Since Saied suspended parliament in 2021, rights groups have cautioned against attempts made to stifle independent voices in Tunisia. Yousfi is one of many media figures jailed this year, including Borhen Bsaies, Khaoula Boukrim, Mourad Zghidi and Zied Heni.

Tunisia, once celebrated as a democratic success story following the Arab Spring, has plummeted 30 places in global press freedom rankings to 129th in 2025 and 137th in 2026.

Current censorship tactics are also a cause for concern for civil society groups. Human rights groups have criticised the crackdown on opposition politicians, journalists, lawyers and activists as politically motivated, as Saied suppresses those who question his policies and decisions through threats of imprisonment and legal proceedings. 

Notable figures include former Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh, sentenced to 34 years in prison on May 2nd 2025 and Rached Ghannouchi, sentenced to 14 years on July 9th 2025. Additionally, rights group Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) was suspended for 30 days on May 11th based on accusations of receiving foreign funding. Saied’s concentration of power has thus reduced the space available to civil society and independent media. 

Saied maintains that his actions aim to protect Tunisia from ‘the corrupt elite‘, foreign interference and political dysfunction. His critics contend that the concentration of power and continuing restraints on dissent are eroding the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution and ‘creating a climate of terror in society’.

Despite these concerns, Tunisians have been protesting against Saied’s increasingly authoritarian political system. On August 21st, hundreds of Tunisians gathered in the capital to demand Saied’s resignation and the restoration of democracy. The protest follows a larger mobilisation on July 26th, denouncing the worsening living conditions, democratic backsliding and the broader mismanagement of the state. 

Their anger is not limited to political freedoms. On August 20th, Nafas called for protests against Saied amid worsening water and electricity shortages as well as wider economic hardship. Protesters demanded better public services, an end to medicine shortages and rising living costs, and greater respect for political freedoms. 

The combination of failing public utilities and political uncertainty is a broader national crisis, with the continued censorship of independent media suggesting that Tunisia’s democratic backsliding is deepening, while growing public discontent signals increasing resistance to Saied’s rule.

Middle East Eye via Reuters, Maghrebi.org