Elyes Chouachi, son of political detainee Ghazi Chouachi, was turned away at Doha International Airport on his way to Qatar at the official invitation of journalist Faisal Al-Kasim, presenter of the show al etijah al mouaakisbroadcast on the Al Jazeera channel. He was to participate in the episode of Tuesday December 23, 2025 devoted to the situation in Tunisia.
Sixteen hours of detention
Upon his arrival at the airport, Elyes Chouachi was subjected to prolonged checks before being notified of a refusal of entry into Qatari territory. He was then returned to France, where he has lived for five years. Neither the Al Jazeera channel nor the Qatari authorities have yet officially reacted to this incident.
In a statement to Business News, Elyes Chouachi described his experience as “scandalous”:
« I was invited by Al Jazeera’s al ettijah al mouaakis show, hosted by Dr Faisal Kassem, and got my visa last Friday. Yesterday, Sunday, upon my arrival in Qatar, I was refused entry into the territory because I am considered a terrorist according to the agreements of the Arab Ministers of the Interior, and I was detained for sixteen and a half hours. Initially I was to be deported to Tunisia, but after consultation it was decided to deport me to the airport in Istanbul, Turkey, where I came from. Finally, after further interventions, it was agreed that I would be deported to France. Frankly, it’s scandalous: a television channel like Al Jazeera invites me, facilitates my visa application, books my ticket and accommodation, and when I arrive, I’m refused entry. »
According to Elyes Chaouachi, his visa had nevertheless been issued legally and the channel had taken care of all the logistical arrangements linked to his travel. He was banned from entering Qatari territory on the grounds that he was considered “ terrorist “, in reference to agreements concluded between Arab interior ministers.
This incident occurs in a particularly sensitive political and media context, marked by increased attention on Tunisia in the region and internationally.
Convictions and judicial harassment
Elyes Chouachi was sentenced on November 21, 2025 to twelve years in prison with immediate execution, found guilty of several charges of a terrorist nature, including the formation of a terrorist group and inciting violence between citizens.
In addition to this conviction, Elyes is the subject of multiple legal proceedings, the accumulation of which could bring the sentences handed down to 38 years of imprisonment, some having been handed down in absentia. Among the notable cases is a sentence to three years in prison in June 2023 for “offending the President of the Republic”, based on public declarations. In June 2025, he was also sentenced to eight months in prison under Decree 54 relating to offenses committed via information systems, in a case linked to online publications.
The heaviest sentences were handed down in November 2025. As part of case no. 55282, he received sixteen years in prison, alongside Mohamed Samti, for charges including endangering state security, forming a terrorist group and inciting violence.
Elyes Chouachi contests all of the accusations, which he considers to be politically motivated, denouncing targeted judicial harassment due to his public positions.
NJ
