A Tunisian court has sentenced 56-year-old day labourer Saber Chouchane to death for Facebook posts deemed insulting to President Kais Saied and threatening state security, his lawyer and human rights advocates confirmed on Friday.
Chouchane, who has limited formal education, was arrested last year after repeatedly criticising the president online, his lawyer Oussama Bouthalja told Reuters. “The judge in Nabeul sentenced him to death over Facebook posts. It is a shocking and unprecedented ruling,” he said, adding that an appeal has already been filed.
Tunisia has not carried out an execution in over three decades, maintaining a de facto moratorium despite continuing to issue death sentences.
Chouchane’s family expressed disbelief at the ruling. “We are a poor family, and now oppression and injustice have been added to poverty,” his brother Jamal said.
The verdict has drawn widespread condemnation and ridicule on social media, with activists warning it will silence dissent and heighten political tensions in the country.
Rights groups say civil liberties have eroded since President Saied assumed sweeping powers in 2021 by dissolving parliament and ruling by decree. The opposition, which denounces his actions as a coup, claims many of its leaders have been jailed on politically motivated charges.
Source:Africa Publicity
