Tunisian Court sentences man to death over Facebook posts criticising President Saied

A Tunisian court has sentenced a 56-year-old day labourer, Sabre Chouchane, to death after he was found guilty of insulting President Kais Saied and assaulting state security through social media posts.

Oussama Bouthalja, head of the Tunisian League for Human Rights and Chouchane’s lawyer, told Reuters the ruling was “shocking and unprecedented.” He explained that his client, who has limited education, had simply written posts critical of the president before his arrest last year.

“The judge in the Nabeul court sentenced the man to death over Facebook posts. It is a shocking and unprecedented ruling,” Bouthalja said, confirming that the judgement has been appealed.

Tunisia, once hailed as the cradle of the Arab Spring after the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has seen a sharp shift under Saied’s leadership. Since his election in 2019, the president has dissolved parliament, rewritten the constitution, and faced repeated accusations of targeting political opponents and silencing dissent.

The ruling against Chouchane has drawn widespread concern as another sign of Tunisia’s democratic backsliding amid growing crackdowns on freedom of expression.