A court in Tunisia has handed down an eight-month prison sentence to parliament member Ahmed Saidani following his social media posts that ridiculed the country’s president, according to Thursday’s ruling that critics view as evidence of growing suppression of dissent.
Saidani, who previously backed President Kais Saied’s agenda targeting political rivals, has shifted to become an outspoken opponent. He now accuses the president of attempting to control all governmental decisions while shifting responsibility for the nation’s troubles to others.
According to a judicial official, the parliamentarian received his sentence on accusations of using communication networks to insult others.
Authorities detained Saidani earlier this month following a Facebook post where he ridiculed the president, calling him the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage.”
“This is a violation of the law and an attack on institutions. How can parliament hold the executive authority to account if it carries out an unlawful arrest over critical views,” said Bilel Mechri, who serves alongside Saidani, in comments to Reuters.
Saidani won his parliamentary seat in late 2022 during an election marked by extremely poor voter participation. This vote occurred after Saied disbanded the former parliament and removed the government in 2021.
Since that time, Saied has governed through executive orders, actions that opposition groups have characterized as a coup.
Numerous opposition figures, some members of the press, and other Saied critics have been incarcerated since he consolidated most governmental authority.
Human rights organizations claim Saied has established authoritarian control and transformed Tunisia into an “open-air prison” as part of his campaign against political opponents.
The president maintains he is upholding legal standards and working to “cleanse” the nation.
