Borhen Bsaies Speaks Out from Mornaguia Prison: A Tale of Incarceration, Fines, and Family Suffering

In a powerful and emotional letter shared by his legal counsel, Me Sami Ben Ghazi, prominent Tunisian media figure Borhen Bsaies has broken his silence. Writing from the Mornaguia Civil Prison, Bsaies offers a rare and painful glimpse into his life behind bars, focusing not just on the legal battles, but on the profound human cost of his imprisonment.

Economic Retribution: Seizures Exceeding 800,000 TND

Bsaies is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence. The core of the legal case against him revolves around “tax evasion,” a charge he claims has been unfairly amplified into money laundering. The financial penalties are staggering:

Assets Confiscation: Properties and assets valued at over 800,000 Tunisian Dinars have been seized by the state.
Heavy Fines: Additional fines exceeding 20,000 TND were imposed.
Corporate Shares: His stakes in his business ventures were confiscated, effectively cutting off all income for his dependents. Bsaies argues that these were standard administrative tax disputes that were weaponized to paralyze him financially.

The Glass Barrier: The End of Human Contact

One of the most heart-wrenching parts of the letter details the prison’s visitation system. Bsaies is restricted to a “closed visit” regime, meaning he can only communicate with his wife, children, and grandchild through a thick glass partition. He is denied the simple dignity of a handshake or a hug. He describes watching his grandson grow up through the glass, calling it a form of psychological torture. The long, grueling queues his family must endure at the prison gates only add to the collective suffering.

Freedom of Opinion and Political Cost

Bsaies links his legal troubles directly to his career as an outspoken journalist. He suggests that in the current climate, expressing a dissenting opinion carries a heavy personal and financial toll. He pleaded for the “neutralization of families,” arguing that while a prisoner must face the consequences of a verdict, the innocent—wives and children—should not be condemned to poverty or emotional starvation. His letter stands as a stark commentary on the intersection of media, law, and politics in modern Tunisia.