Zied El-Heni sentenced to four years in prison in Tunis
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Businessnews
Tunisian journalist Zied El-Heni was sentenced to four years in prison in the leaked audio recordings case, while Mondher Ounissi received nine years and several defendants 25 years. His defence committee disputes his remote appearance and denounces difficulties following the hearing, reports Businessnews.
Tunisian journalist Zied El-Heni was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday 27 October 2026 in the case of the “leaked audio recordings” by the fourth criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance, according to Businessnews. Mondher Ounissi was sentenced to nine years in prison, while the other defendants received 25 years each.
Zied El-Heni appeared remotely from Mornaguia civil prison. His defence committee says the court rejected his request to appear in person and that a technical problem interrupted the hearing for more than an hour. After the system was restored, the journalist was still unable to hear the pleadings and exchanges in the courtroom, according to the same source.
The case concerns recordings attributed to Mondher Ounissi, former interim president of the Ennahdha movement, which were leaked in September 2023. Initially summoned as a witness after discussing the files on the radio, Zied El-Heni said he had contacted the people concerned to verify their authenticity. He was subsequently prosecuted on four charges, some of which fall under anti-terrorism legislation. He faced up to 20 years in prison.
The sentence comes after the postponement of Zied El-Heni’s anti-terrorism trial, announced on 21 October in Tunis.
