A Tunisian Court has handed down prison sentences ranging from five to 45 years for dozens of opposition figures, business owners, and media personalities who were charged with "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group." The rulings came in the wake of a European Parliament resolution calling for the release of several critics of President Kais Saied.
The European Union Parliament voted unanimously on Thursday's resolution, which condemned the detention of human rights activists and demanded their immediate release. However, President Saied denounced the document as "blatant interference" in Tunisia's affairs.
The court's decision has been met with widespread criticism from human rights groups, who argue that the verdict is a blatant attempt to silence opposition voices and stifle dissent. The charges against those sentenced are largely based on their criticism of the government or their alleged involvement with organizations deemed "terrorist."
Among those affected by the ruling were nearly 40 defendants who faced similar charges in April. However, it appears that this latest batch of sentences was even more severe, with many receiving lengthy prison terms.
The resolution also called for the repeal of a law enacted by President Saied in 2022 to ban "spreading false news," which has been used to prosecute several individuals for their comments on radio and television. The resolution demanded the release of all those detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including political prisoners and human rights defenders.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tunis this weekend to express their discontent with President Saied's authoritarian policies. The protests came in response to a surge in arrests and detentions of critics of the government, which has raised concerns about the erosion of democratic freedoms in Tunisia.
The case against Sonia Dahmani, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist who was released from prison on Thursday but remains under judicial supervision, is another example of President Saied's efforts to silence dissent.
The European Union Parliament voted unanimously on Thursday's resolution, which condemned the detention of human rights activists and demanded their immediate release. However, President Saied denounced the document as "blatant interference" in Tunisia's affairs.
The court's decision has been met with widespread criticism from human rights groups, who argue that the verdict is a blatant attempt to silence opposition voices and stifle dissent. The charges against those sentenced are largely based on their criticism of the government or their alleged involvement with organizations deemed "terrorist."
Among those affected by the ruling were nearly 40 defendants who faced similar charges in April. However, it appears that this latest batch of sentences was even more severe, with many receiving lengthy prison terms.
The resolution also called for the repeal of a law enacted by President Saied in 2022 to ban "spreading false news," which has been used to prosecute several individuals for their comments on radio and television. The resolution demanded the release of all those detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, including political prisoners and human rights defenders.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tunis this weekend to express their discontent with President Saied's authoritarian policies. The protests came in response to a surge in arrests and detentions of critics of the government, which has raised concerns about the erosion of democratic freedoms in Tunisia.
The case against Sonia Dahmani, a prominent lawyer and human rights activist who was released from prison on Thursday but remains under judicial supervision, is another example of President Saied's efforts to silence dissent.
. it's like, totally unacceptable that they're silencing people just for speaking out against the government. I mean, shouldn't we all be free to express our opinions without fear of prison? 
the EU's resolution was right on point - these laws are basically a way to stifle dissent and human rights. and let's not forget that thousands of people took to the streets in Tunisia this weekend, showing that there's still a lot of resistance to this authoritarian rule 
. it's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out 
like what even is going on in tunisia?? they're literally putting people in jail for just speaking out against the gov 
and it's so not okay 
i mean i get that president saied is upset about the eu parliament resolution but come on man 
a 45 year prison sentence is wild 
especially when they're just exercising their right to free speech 
it's like he wants to silence everyone who disagrees with him 
and that's not how democracy works 
and the fact that thousands of people are protesting in the streets is proof that tunisiaans are fed up 
. And what really gets my goat is that President Saied is basically saying the EU is interfering in Tunisia's affairs when it's actually him being super secretive about his own policies 
. The fact that thousands of people are taking to the streets protesting this stuff just goes to show how fed up everyone is with the government's crackdowns 
. And poor Sonia Dahmani, still under judicial supervision despite being released from prison? That's some harsh monitoring if you ask me 
. We should all be keeping an eye on what’s going down in Tunisia. 
. I mean, we've seen similar stuff happening in other countries where governments just want to crack down on anyone who speaks out against them. It's like they're trying to silence the opposition and maintain control over the narrative 
. It's like he's playing this whole "interference" card to avoid accountability. And the fact that human rights groups are crying foul just shows how out of touch some governments can be.
.
. We need to keep pushing back against that and supporting those who are speaking out against injustice 
.
the european parliament is all like "hey Tunisia u gotta let these ppl go" but president saied is just like "nope, not gonna happen 
". and now everyone's taking to the streets to protest 
. we gotta hope that the international community keeps putting pressure on tunisia to do the right thing 
.