# Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

The Committee to Protect Journalists found at least four journalists imprisoned under Tunisia's 2022 Decree-Law 54 on cybercrime as of January 2025, including radio hosts Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies, pushing the country's jailed-journalist count to its highest since 1992 under President Kais Saied.[1]

- Country: [Tunisia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/tn) (RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180)
- Where: TN
- Level of government: National
- Tactics: Insult and defamation laws, Detention and violence
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/insult_and_defamation_laws#stage-punish)
- Head of government at the time: [Kais Saied](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/kais-saied)
- Issue of the day: Decree-Law 54, issued by President Kais Saied in 2022 without a sitting parliament, criminalized spreading what authorities deem "false news" online, and by January 2025 had become the basis for jailing a record number of Tunisian journalists.
- Outcome: Sustained. Decree-Law 54 remained in force and continued to produce new prosecutions, which CPJ said brought jailed-journalist numbers to a record.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

The Committee to Protect Journalists reported on January 16, 2025 that at least four of five imprisoned Tunisian journalists were convicted under Decree-Law 54, a 2022 cybercrime decree President Kais Saied issued while ruling by decree without a sitting parliament. Radio hosts Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies of IFM each received one-year sentences, commentator Sonia Dahmani's one-year sentence was reduced to eight months on appeal before she received an additional two-year sentence, and journalist Mohamed Boughaleb received six months on a separate defamation charge. The head of Tunisia's journalists' union, Ziad Debbar, said the decree had turned every journalist into a suspect. The International Commission of Jurists said Tunisian authorities were using the decree to arbitrarily restrict dissenting voices, in violation of the country's human rights obligations, subjecting journalists, politicians and rights defenders to prosecution, investigation and imprisonment.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Decree-Law 54 targets content that "produces, spreads, disseminates, sends or writes false news" seen as threatening "rights of others, public safety or national defense or sowing terror."[2]

## What changed for reporting

Tunisia, once cited as a rare post-Arab Spring press-freedom success, reached its highest count of imprisoned journalists since 1992, with radio hosts and commentators serving sentences of six months to more than two years for broadcast commentary and online statements.[1][2][3]

## Timeline

- 2025-01-16: Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Kais Saied](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/kais-saied) | ordered | President of Tunisia |

## Sources

1. Tunisia uses new cybercrime law to jail record number of journalists. https://cpj.org/2025/01/tunisia-uses-new-cybercrime-law-to-jail-record-number-of-journalists/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-01-16).
2. Tunisia: Silencing Free Voices, a briefing paper on the enforcement of Decree 54 on 'Cybercrime'. https://www.icj.org/tunisia-silencing-free-voices-a-briefing-paper-on-the-enforcement-of-decree-54-on-cybercrime/ (International Commission of Jurists, 2023-07-01).

## Claims cited

[1] Tunisia's journalists' union head said the decree had turned every journalist into a suspect. Quote: "Decree 54 has now turned every journalist into a suspect," Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-01-16. Tunisia uses new cybercrime law to jail record number of journalists. https://cpj.org/2025/01/tunisia-uses-new-cybercrime-law-to-jail-record-number-of-journalists/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/464, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] The decree criminalizes producing or spreading false news deemed to threaten rights, public safety or national defense. Quote: "produce[s], spread[s], disseminate[s], send[s] or write[s] false news" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025-01-16. Tunisia uses new cybercrime law to jail record number of journalists. https://cpj.org/2025/01/tunisia-uses-new-cybercrime-law-to-jail-record-number-of-journalists/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/465, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The International Commission of Jurists said Tunisian authorities used the decree to arbitrarily restrict dissenting and independent voices. Quote: "The Tunisian authorities are using Decree 54 to arbitrarily silence dissenting and independent voices, in clear violation of the country's obligations under international human rights law" Source: International Commission of Jurists, 2023-07-01. Tunisia: Silencing Free Voices, a briefing paper on the enforcement of Decree 54 on 'Cybercrime'. https://www.icj.org/tunisia-silencing-free-voices-a-briefing-paper-on-the-enforcement-of-decree-54-on-cybercrime/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/466, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-tunisia-record-journalists-jailed-decree-54. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.