Tunisian court sentences critic MP to prison for social media posts
A Tunisian court has sentenced lawmaker Ahmed Saidani to eight months in prison for social media posts that ridiculed the response of the President Kais Saied to recent deadly floods.
Saidani was arrested earlier this month after referring to the president as the “supreme commander of sanitation and rainwater drainage” in posts about Saied’s visits to flood-stricken areas.
A judicial official confirmed the lawmaker was convicted on Thursday under a telecommunications law prohibiting “harming others via social media,” an offense that carries a maximum sentence of two years.
The case has drawn criticism from human rights groups, who view it as part of an escalating crackdown on dissent since Saied suspended parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree.
Once a supporter of the president’s consolidation of power, Saidani has recently become an outspoken critic.
In his Facebook post, the MP accused Saied of “taking up the hobby of taking photos with the poor and destitute” during visits to flooded areas in Tunis.
At least five people died in the floods last month, the heaviest rainfall in over 70 years.
The lawyer of Saidani, Houssem Eddine Ben Attia, denounced the prosecution. Fellow MP Bilel Mechri questioned how parliament can hold the executive to account following the “unlawful arrest.”
While lawmakers typically have parliamentary immunity, they can be detained for criminal offenses.
Saied, who rejects accusations of authoritarianism, insists he is upholding the law.
