human rights defender
Chadha Haj Mabrek
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Organization affiliation
- Syndicat national des journalistes tunisiens (SNJT)
HRD's Gender
Woman
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) Chadha Haj Mabrek is a Tunisian journalist who was arrested by plainclothes Tunisian police officers at Instalingo's headquarters and taken into custody on 10 September 2021 as part of the ‘Instalingo affair’. For its part, the Anadolu Agency reports that she was arrested in 2021 by the Tunisian military justice system.
Instalingo is a company based in El Kantaoui, Sousse, specialising in content creation and digital communication. Its premises were raided on 10 September 2021, following reports of its alleged involvement in ‘undermining state security, money laundering and defamation via social media’.
Those targeted also include security officials, bloggers, journalists, businessmen and politicians, including the president of the Ennahdha movement, Rached Ghannouchi, former head of government Hichem Mechichi, and former director of the presidential cabinet, Nadia Akacha. They are accused of ‘conspiracy against state security, attempting to change the regime and spreading defamatory information about the President of the Republic’, in accordance with Articles 61, 62 bis and 67 of the Penal Code.
On 17 September 2021, she was heard by a judge at the Sousse Court of First Instance, who ordered her release pending further investigation. In November 2021, the public prosecutor appealed this decision and a warrant for her arrest was issued.
On 16 June 2023, the investigating judge decided to close the investigation and drop the charges. However, following the public prosecutor's appeal, on 20 July 2023, the indictment division sentenced her to a prison term for ‘undermining state security’. She was arrested the same day at her home in Kélibia.
On 5 February 2025, she was sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to ‘change the form of government’. She was imprisoned in Messaadine prison. The National Union of Tunisian Journalists expressed its solidarity with her after her conviction and announced that it would appeal the decision.
Detained since
Oct 5, 2021
Date of release
Jan 14, 2026
Charge(s)
- Other
- Subversion
- Threatening national security
Sentence
(AI translated) two-year suspended prison sentence
Latitude: 35.770107680820914
Longitude: 10.611126846846734
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Africa: Northern Africa
Location of detention - City/Town
Tunis
Location of detention - Facility
Prison Messadine
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) Chadha Hadj Mbarek suffers from hearing problems recognised by the State. However, no adjustments were made by the prison administration, which led to a deterioration in her health during her detention. Furthermore, although she had been suffering from depression since the start of the proceedings and was taking antidepressants, she was denied access to these drugs after her imprisonment. She was also the victim of violence on two occasions by other inmates.
Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, the 12th Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal decided to postpone the ‘Instalingo’ case until the hearing on 26 December, in response to a request from the defence to bring a defendant from prison to court, summon defendants on provisional release, appoint a lawyer for another defendant (in detention), and summon an expert witness for Chadha Ben Haj Mabrouk. All requests for release were rejected.
On 14 January 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeal ordered his release after reducing his sentence from five years in prison to two years' suspended imprisonment.
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's Gender
- Woman
- Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Organization affiliation
- Syndicat national des journalistes tunisiens (SNJT)
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) Chadha Haj Mabrek is a Tunisian journalist who was arrested by plainclothes Tunisian police officers at Instalingo's headquarters and taken into custody on 10 September 2021 as part of the ‘Instalingo affair’. For its part, the Anadolu Agency reports that she was arrested in 2021 by the Tunisian military justice system.
Instalingo is a company based in El Kantaoui, Sousse, specialising in content creation and digital communication. Its premises were raided on 10 September 2021, following reports of its alleged involvement in ‘undermining state security, money laundering and defamation via social media’.
Those targeted also include security officials, bloggers, journalists, businessmen and politicians, including the president of the Ennahdha movement, Rached Ghannouchi, former head of government Hichem Mechichi, and former director of the presidential cabinet, Nadia Akacha. They are accused of ‘conspiracy against state security, attempting to change the regime and spreading defamatory information about the President of the Republic’, in accordance with Articles 61, 62 bis and 67 of the Penal Code.
On 17 September 2021, she was heard by a judge at the Sousse Court of First Instance, who ordered her release pending further investigation. In November 2021, the public prosecutor appealed this decision and a warrant for her arrest was issued.
On 16 June 2023, the investigating judge decided to close the investigation and drop the charges. However, following the public prosecutor's appeal, on 20 July 2023, the indictment division sentenced her to a prison term for ‘undermining state security’. She was arrested the same day at her home in Kélibia.
On 5 February 2025, she was sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to ‘change the form of government’. She was imprisoned in Messaadine prison. The National Union of Tunisian Journalists expressed its solidarity with her after her conviction and announced that it would appeal the decision.
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Africa: Northern Africa
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Tunis
- Location of detention - Facility
- Prison Messadine
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 35.770107680820914
Longitude: 10.611126846846734
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Oct 5, 2021
- Current Status
- Released
- Date of release
- Jan 14, 2026
- Charge(s)
- Other
- Subversion
- Threatening national security
- Sentence
(AI translated) two-year suspended prison sentence
- Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, the 12th Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal decided to postpone the ‘Instalingo’ case until the hearing on 26 December, in response to a request from the defence to bring a defendant from prison to court, summon defendants on provisional release, appoint a lawyer for another defendant (in detention), and summon an expert witness for Chadha Ben Haj Mabrouk. All requests for release were rejected.
On 14 January 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeal ordered his release after reducing his sentence from five years in prison to two years' suspended imprisonment.
- Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) Chadha Hadj Mbarek suffers from hearing problems recognised by the State. However, no adjustments were made by the prison administration, which led to a deterioration in her health during her detention. Furthermore, although she had been suffering from depression since the start of the proceedings and was taking antidepressants, she was denied access to these drugs after her imprisonment. She was also the victim of violence on two occasions by other inmates.
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
Supporting files
sorted by
Date added
3 relationships, 2 entities