Tunisian journalists briefly detained under false pretenses then harrassed because of their work

The incident took place on September 21, when a female photojournalist with Nawaat received a call from an individual claiming to be a courier, who insisted she collect a delivery. To feel safer, she brought two male colleagues along with her, a reporter and a photojournalist. All three journalists requested that their identities remain hidden, citing fear of reprisal. The details of the encounter were shared with CPJ by a local journalist who is following the case, and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. When the three journalists arrived at the location, plainclothes security officers surrounded them, forced them into a vehicle, and took them to the National Guard’s central unit in El-Aouina neighborhood, Tunis, according to CPJ’s source, and a statement by the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT). Authorities held the journalists for almost two hours, during which time they were subjected to “abusive language and humiliation by some of the personnel,” according to the SNJT. During the detention, officers verbally abused and degraded the female photojournalist, and interrogated her about her coverage of the September 19 march in support of detained Sumud Flotilla activists. According to the syndicate, the officers also questioned the other two journalists — who had no connection to the protest — about the march, Nawaat’s work and their salaries. They also demanded information on the whereabouts of a journalism student wanted by authorities. During the interrogation, officers attempted to access the journalists’ phones without a judicial warrant. Before releasing them, they warned the team not to disclose the incident to the SNJT, Nawaat, or the public, threatening further action if they did so, according to CPJ’s source. https://cpj.org/2026/09/3-tunisian-journalists-briefly-detained-as-media-crackdown-intensifies/