Tunisian man who was given a death sentence is released by a court following intense outcry

A man was put to death last week in Tunisia for posting negative things about the president on Facebook. On Tuesday, the man was freed from prison after a lot of public outrage and worries about his human rights.

In Tunisia, where President Kais Saied took over most of the country’s power in 2021, free speech has been limited since then, last week’s decision was the first of its kind.

Lawyer Oussama Bouthelja stated that his client, 56-year-old Saber Chouchane, had been freed. Jamal Chouchane, Saber’s brother, also said he was free, but he didn’t say how.

Last year, Chouchane was caught.

Groups and activists in civil society called last week’s decision a shock. It also led to a lot of criticism and laughter on social media from activists and regular Tunisians.

Since Saied got rid of the elected parliament four years ago and started ruling by order, rights groups have been criticizing Tunisia more and more for weakening the independence of the courts.