Tunisia Arrests Journalist Hours Before Live Interview

A Tunisian judge has ordered the arrest of Mohamed Yousfi, a journalist known for his sharp criticism of the country’s president. Security forces detained Yousfi just before he was scheduled to give a media interview, according to reports confirmed on Tuesday. The journalist’s arrest has drawn immediate condemnation from a local press union, which called the move “an attack on all journalists’ rights.” The union warned that the detention sends a chilling signal to independent media in the North African nation. Yousfi has not yet been formally charged. Legal experts say the arrest order stems from his recent public statements, though the specific allegations remain unclear. His case is now expected to move through Tunisia’s criminal court system. The development comes amid growing scrutiny of press freedoms in Tunisia, a country once hailed as a democratic model after its 2011 revolution. Rights groups have repeatedly flagged the use of courts to silence government critics in recent years.