• A Tunisian man was sentenced to death for social media posts critical of President Kais Saied.
• This ruling is unprecedented in Tunisia, raising alarms about free speech restrictions.
• The individual, Saber Chouchane, argued that his posts aimed to highlight his difficult living conditions.
• Critics claim the decision serves to instill fear among opposition members and dissenters.

A court in Tunisia has sentenced 56-year-old Saber Chouchane to death for posts deemed insulting to President Kais Saied and a threat to state security. This unprecedented ruling marks a significant point in Tunisia’s political landscape, where restrictions on free speech have intensified since Saied consolidated power in 2021, according to Reuters and Africanews.

Chouchane's lawyer, Oussama Bouthalja, revealed that his client has been in pretrial detention since January 2024 and faces significant socio-economic challenges. Bouthalja characterized Chouchane as a socially vulnerable individual who primarily used his Facebook account to express his frustrations about living conditions, not to incite unrest. His posts often included graphics and calls for protests, which M. Bouthalja argued were misinterpreted as violence, according to South China Morning Post and Africanews.

The ruling has sparked widespread outrage across Tunisia, with critics labeling it as a deliberate attempt to intimidate opposition figures and silence dissenting voices. Observers argue that this ruling, which applies under a controversial cybercrime law, is indicative of a larger trend of authoritarianism under Saied, who has curtailed civil liberties since his rise to power, according to Reuters and South China Morning Post.