Tunisia sentences lawmaker to eight months in prison for ridiculing the president

A Tunisian court on Thursday sentenced lawmaker Ahmed Saidani to eight months in prison for social media posts that mocked President Kais Saied, a decision that opponents argue indicates a growing repression of dissenting voices.

Saidani, who was once a supporter of Saied’s policies toward political opponents, has now emerged as a vocal critic. He accuses the president of attempting to monopolize all decision-making while placing the blame for issues on others.

A judicial official reported that the member of parliament has been imprisoned for charges related to insulting others via communication networks.

Saidani was taken into custody this month following a Facebook post in which he ridiculed the president, referring to him as the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage.”

“This constitutes a breach of the law and an assault on our institutions.” “How can parliament hold the executive authority accountable if it conducts an unlawful arrest over critical views?” Bilel Mechri, who is a colleague of Saidani, provided this information to Reuters.

Saidani was elected as a lawmaker at the end of 2022 during a parliamentary election characterized by very low voter turnout, which followed Saied’s dissolution of the previous parliament and the dismissal of the government in 2021.

Since then, Saied has governed through decrees, actions that the opposition has characterized as a coup.

Since Saied assumed control of most powers, he has imprisoned numerous opposition leaders, journalists, and critics.

Human rights organizations assert that Saied has solidified his authoritarian control and transformed Tunisia into an “open-air prison” to stifle dissent.

Saied claims he is upholding the law and aiming to “cleanse” the nation.