Tunisian Court Sentences Journalist Khaoula Boukrim in Absentia as Free Speech Concerns Intensify

June 10, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

TUNIS — A Tunisian court has sentenced journalist Khaoula Boukrim to four years in prison in absentia, in a case that adds to a series of prosecutions targeting media figures under President Kais Saied, according to the journalist and rights groups.

Boukrim, founder of the news website TUMEDIA, said on Tuesday she was informed that two separate rulings had been issued against her under Decree-Law 54, a cybercrime law enacted in 2022 that imposes strict penalties for offences related to online publication.

She left Tunisia for Paris in December, saying she fled after learning that legal cases were being prepared over her criticism of the president and his inner circle.

The ruling comes amid a broader wave of legal action against journalists and media figures, including the earlier jailing this year of several prominent names such as Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies.

Rights organisations say Decree-Law 54 has increasingly been used to prosecute government critics and restrict free expression, while authorities argue it is necessary to combat misinformation and online abuse.

Concerns over press freedom have grown since President Saied dissolved the elected parliament in 2021 and began governing by decree, a shift critics say has weakened institutional checks and enabled tighter control over public discourse.