TV host arrested after reading poem about dictators

Tunisian authorities have arrested a journalist after he read lines from a popular poem on television by a renowned poet about “dictators in Arab countries and how they treat their people”.

Amer Ayad – who hosts a talk show on Zitouna TV – was accused along with his guest of “undermining the security of the state”.

It is thought that the authorities believed that the journalist was making an analogy with President Kaid Saied by reading the poem by Ahmed Matar.

A friend of Amer Ayed tweeted confirming his arrest and said he will be back stronger.

Zitouna TV has been critical of President Saied since he suspended parliament in a move described by the opposition as “a coup and a violation of the constitution”.

The detention of Mr Ayad is the latest in a series of arrests that targeted journalists and lawmakers who had expressed their opposition to the president’s measures. BBC News