The Mourad Zghidi and Borhene Bsaies case: repression, the regime's only policy

January 24, 2026
crldht

Following the ruling handed down by the Tunis Court of First Instance on January 22, 2026, in the case concerning journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhene Bsaies, it is clear that the proceedings and the judgment are manifestly disproportionate. The court of first instance, which is part of the financial and anti-corruption division, sentenced Mourad Zghidi and Borhene Bsaies to three years' imprisonment for money laundering, along with a fine of 50,000 dinars each and the confiscation of their assets in favor of the Treasury.

In the case of Mourad Zghidi, the court also handed down a combined sentence of seven months' imprisonment: six months on the grounds of alleged underreporting of turnover by his two companies, combined with failure to pay withholding tax, accompanied by a fine of 10,000 dinars for the latter offense; as well as one month's imprisonment accompanied by a fine of 10,000 dinars for failure to pay VAT.

Borhene Bsaies was also sentenced to seven months in prison: one month in prison and a fine of 10,000 dinars for failure to pay VAT; three months in prison and a fine of 200,000 dinars for not invoicing services; three months in prison and a fine of 10,000 dinars for illegally reducing turnover by more than 30%; and a fine of 10,000 dinars for failing to declare his business, with his shares in a company being confiscated by the state.

It goes without saying that the investigation, prosecution, expert assessment, and judgment were conducted exclusively against the two journalists and are marred by serious human rights violations, including the right to a fair trial, which have become the norm in cases involving all dissidents of Kaïs Saïed, or at least those perceived as such by the regime, which has less and less to offer its supporters increasingly few in number, than arbitrary detentions and judgments handed down by a subservient judiciary.

The CRLDHT

considers that the verdict handed down against Mourad Zghidi and Borhene Bsaies is a political verdict, devoid of any proportionality, aimed primarily at punishing and intimidating journalists because of their positions and their work;
considers that the use of the financial sector and the fight against corruption for political repression constitutes a serious breach of the rule of law and a flagrant violation of Tunisia's international commitments;
denounces the blatant violations of the right to a fair trial, the judicial harassment, and the accumulation of punitive charges, which reflect a justice system that serves the executive branch;
asserts that these convictions are part of a broader strategy to criminalize freedom of expression and independent journalism;
demands the annulment of these judgments, the immediate release of journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhene Bsaies, and the cessation of all politically motivated legal proceedings;
calls on all democratic forces, human rights organizations, journalists' unions, and the international community to mobilize to put an end to this spiral of repression