Tunisia detains prominent journalist Mohamed Boughalleb

The Tunisia public prosecutor ordered on Friday the detention of prominent journalist Mohamed Boughalleb, who has been a critic of President Kais Saied, on suspicion of insulting a public official on a radio program, a judicial official told Reuters.

"A public sector employee insisted on filing a complaint against Boughalleb after he insulted her on social media and repeated it on a radio program,” the judge, Mohamed Zitouna, said.

The police began on Friday questioning Boughalleb amid a broad campaign of support from journalists and activists who called on Saied to stop restricting freedom of speech, the key gain of 2011 revolution that ended the rule of late President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.