A Tunisian court has sentenced a 56-year-old man to d+ath for allegedly ins¥lting President Kais Saied and undermining state security through Facebook posts, his lawyer and the Tunisian League for Human Rights confirmed on Friday.
The ruling has been described as unprecedented in the North African country, where restrictions on free speech have tightened since Saied assumed sweeping powers in 2021.
The defendant, Saber Chouchane, a day labourer with limited education, was arrested last year after publishing online criticism of the president.
His lawyer, Oussama Bouthalja, said: “The judge in the Nabeul court sentenced the man to d+ath over Facebook posts. It is a shocking and unprecedented ruling.” He added that an appeal has already been lodged.
Although Tunisian courts occasionally issue d+ath sentences, the country has not carried out an execution in more than three decades.
Chouchane’s brother, Jamal, expressed disbelief, telling Reuters: “We can’t believe it. We are a family suffering from p+verty, and now oppression and injustice have been added to p+verty.”
The judgement has sparked widespread outr@ge on social media, with activists and citizens accusing authorities of attempting to silence critics through fear. Observers warn the ruling could intensify political tensions and further erode freedom of expression.
Since dissolving parliament and ruling by decree, Saied has faced mounting criticism from rights groups and opposition leaders, many of whom are imprisoned on various charges after being labelled “traitors” by the president.
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