TAKE ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

PROMINENT JOURNALIST UNJUSTLY IMPRISONED

Tunisia UA 68.26

On May 7, 2026, the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced prominent Tunisian journalist and political commentator, Zied El Heni, to one year in prison solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression. Arrested on April 24, 2026, he was held in pretrial detention before being convicted under Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code for comments criticizing a judicial decision. On June 26, 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeal upheld Zied El Heni's one-year prison sentence. His conviction is part of an escalating crackdown on journalists and other critical voices in Tunisia.

Call on the Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Zied El Heni, quash his conviction, and end the use of criminal laws to punish people for exercising their right to freedom of expression - send your message using our email writing tool.

YOUR INFORMATION

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Address

Apt., Ste., Bldg.

City

State

Postal Code

Country

Phone Number (Optional)

By providing your mobile number, you are signing up to receive calls and recurring fundraising and advocacy messages from Amnesty International USA at 213-33. Reply STOP to quit. Msg and data rates may apply. Privacy & Terms.

Postal Address Sharing

Do not exchange my postal address with other organizations.

Customize your message

The President of Tunisia

Kais

Saied

The President of Tunisia

Your Excellency,

I am concerned about the arbitrary arrest, unjust conviction, and imprisonment of prominent journalist, Zied El Heni, for comments protected under the right to freedom of expression. On May 7, 2026, Zied El Heni was sentenced to one year in prison under Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code. The prosecution was based on remarks Zied El Heni made during a university seminar in which he criticized the judicial handling of the case of imprisoned journalist, Khalifa Guesmi. He later published a recording of the seminar on the website and YouTube channel of his independent media outlet, Tunisian Press, and shared it on his personal social media accounts. He was arrested on April 24, 2026, and held in pretrial detention. His prosecution and imprisonment stem solely from the exercise of his right to freedom of expression.

The imprisonment of journalists for their opinions or reporting violates Tunisia's obligations under international and regional human rights law, including Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has affirmed that imprisonment for defamation and other forms of peaceful expression is a disproportionate restriction on this right and has called on states to repeal laws that criminalize legitimate journalistic activity and criticism of public officials.

I urge you to ensure that Zied El Heni is immediately and unconditionally released and that his conviction is quashed. I also call on the Tunisian authorities to end the use of criminal laws, including Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code, to prosecute journalists and other individuals simply for expressing their views.

Yours sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}