Journalist Zied el-Heni completes 200 days in prison and faces three cases

Al-Hani is serving a one-year prison sentence issued on 7 May 2026 with effect for the charge of abusing others on public networks of communication, against the background of his speech at a scientific seminar at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Tunis about a criminal offence in the file of journalist Khalifa Qasimi and a guard officer who died under arrest, after testifying on 24 April 2026 before the Fifth Division to Combat Information Technology Crimes and Calling the National Guard.

On 27 October, al-Hani was also sentenced to four years in prison in the case of voice leaks of the Alunisi manifesto, which included a nine-year prison sentence for Alunisi and a 20-year absence sentence for journalist Shahzad Akasha. The facts relate to Al-Hani's contact with Akasha to inquire about the leaks as a journalist.

The third file relates to a real estate compensation process dating back to the 1960s that was approved by the private prosecutor's office of Carthage Municipality in 2012, where it decided to release the rest of those involved, including the head of the private prosecution, while keeping Hanni alone in custody. Al-Hani had filed a lawsuit against the head of state in the Administrative Court days before his arrest for not establishing the Constitutional Court.

The court had on 6 November refused to release Zied el-Heni in Carthage's land file, while lawyer Ahmed Sawab confirmed that the foreclosure was based on municipal deliberations and decisions officially approved by supervisors.

The media scene is witnessing prosecutions involving other journalists, with Murad al-Zaghidi and Burhan Bassis in prison since May 2024 in execution of a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence for money laundering.