Prominent Tunisian reporter Zied Heni was detained on April 22, 2026, after writing an article that criticized the judiciary, according to his lawyer, Nafaa Laribi.

The arrest order was issued by the Tunisian public prosecutor's office.

No charges have been disclosed, and there has been no official statement from the prosecutor's office regarding Heni's detention.

This incident has raised concerns among rights groups who warn of a broader crackdown on independent voices in Tunisia since President Kais Saied disbanded the elected parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree.

In 2022, Saied also dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed numerous judges, a move criticized by the opposition as an undermining of judicial independence.

Saied has refuted these accusations, claiming his actions were aimed at fighting corruption within the judiciary and ensuring that the courts operate independently.

Zied Dabbar, head of the Tunisian journalists' union, considers Heni's detention arbitrary and part of a wider campaign to intimidate journalists.

The country witnessed an initial flourishing of free speech after the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the 'Arab Spring'.

However, critics argue that President Saied’s concentration of power since 2021 and subsequent decrees have dismantled democratic safeguards in Tunisia, enabling authorities to pursue journalists more aggressively.

Over the past three years, several politicians, journalists, activists, and businesspersons have been jailed on charges of conspiring against state security, money laundering, or corruption.

President Saied has asserted that freedoms are guaranteed in Tunisia but maintains that no one is above the law, regardless of their status.