The Journalists Guild condemns the threat of a Sunrise reporter to prosecution

The National Union of Tunisian Journalists has condemned the receipt by Sunrise newspaper correspondent Minir Zwabi of a threat of prosecution via an execution ordered by a national handball coach, against the backdrop of his publication of a critical article about appointments at the Tunisian University of the Game. The direct alert was delivered to the journalist at his headquarters on October 29, 2026, with a hint of legal action against him.

The delivery of a judicial alert coincided with the reporter's exposure to electronic incitement and misrepresentation campaigns led by pages and sports figures, which the syndicate considered a means of pressure and intimidation aimed at scaring journalists and both of them from performing their surveillance roles, warning of the dangers posed to his physical safety in the vicinity of his home.

The Syndicate reported that the complainant exceeded the legal and professional mechanisms in place to process press material, represented by submitting a request for exercise of the right of reply and clarification through the media establishment before heading to judicial escalation. She stressed that the exercise of the right to sue must not be used as a tool to punish journalists for covering public affairs and accountability about behaviour at the sports facility.

The journalist had published a critical article on the Tunisian handball university's governance, the team's technical appointment choices, the financial privileges granted to certain training frameworks, as well as the athletic results achieved. In this regard, the union stressed that accountability of structures and sports officials for appointments and handling of public money is truly constitutional and professional ensuring public access to information.

The university-supervised syndicate demanded that the game be held accountable for respecting the freedom of journalistic work and dealing with criticism with the required transparency, confirming its direct follow-up to developments and beginning to take the necessary legal measures to protect the journalist, defend his rights and press freedom.