Journalist Zied el-Heni and his defence committee decide not to appeal his sentence

Journalist Zied el-Heni and his defense body decided to refrain from exercising their right to appeal the verdict and the judge sentenced him to four years in prison effective with immediate effect in Tunisia. This direct action makes the decision of the Criminal Chamber on terrorism cases final in its elementary stage.

The verdict was based on the Anti-Terrorism and Money Laundering Act after charges including failing to report a terrorist offence, forming a terrorist organization, and revealing secrets of its profits were filed. The sentences in the same file included the former president on behalf of the Ennahdha Movement Mondher Ounissi being jailed for nine years, and fugitive defendants for up to 25 years.

The plot of the case dates back to September 2023 after leaked audio recordings attributed to Mondher Ounissi emerged, where it was addressed by the analyst and journalist during a radio show. Hani was summoned at the beginning of the investigation as a witness, before the investigating judge decided to change his legal status to a defendant in the same case.

The criminal chamber competent to hear terrorism cases at the Tunisian Primary Court was sentenced on October 27, 2026 to four years in Al-Hani prison, after appearing before it after postponing the hearing of the audio file mid-month.

Reporters Without Borders considered this court course to be a crime against journalism and the protection of sources. Al-Hani faces this decision and has been in custody since his arrest on 24 April 2024, after the Court of Appeal upheld his one-year prison sentence in June 2024 in a previous media statement case.