A Tunisian court has sentenced a 51-year-old man, Saber Chouchane, to death for allegedly insulting President Kais Saied and threatening state security through a series of Facebook posts — a ruling that has sparked outrage among rights groups and pro-democracy activists.
Chouchane, an occasional day laborer with limited formal education, was arrested in January 2024 and tried under Tunisia’s controversial cybercrime law, Decree 54, which criminalizes the spread of “false information” and online content deemed to endanger public order or national security. The verdict, delivered by a court in the coastal city of Nabeul, marks the first known death sentence in Tunisia linked to social media activity.
According to his lawyer and the Tunisian League for Human Rights, Chouchane was accused of publishing posts that “insulted the president” and “incited chaos” — charges that carry the death penalty under Tunisia’s penal code when linked to threats against state security.
Human rights advocates have condemned the sentence as a dangerous escalation in President Saied’s crackdown on dissent since he consolidated power in 2021, dissolving parliament and ruling largely by decree. “This verdict is unprecedented and alarming. It criminalizes free expression and sets a dark precedent for Tunisia’s democracy,” said a representative of the Tunisian League for Human Rights.
International observers, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called for the sentence to be overturned, warning that Tunisia — once hailed as a model of post-Arab Spring democracy — is sliding further into authoritarianism.
Although Tunisia retains the death penalty, no execution has been carried out since 1991, and many expect Chouchane’s sentence to be commuted or overturned on appeal. His defense team has already announced plans to challenge the ruling, calling it a violation of basic human rights and freedom of speech.
The case also renews scrutiny of Decree 54, enacted in 2022, which rights groups say has been used to silence journalists, opposition figures, and social media users critical of the government. Over 70 people have reportedly faced prosecution under the law in the past two years.
As Tunisia grapples with rising political tension and economic hardship, the verdict against Chouchane underscores the growing fear among citizens that speaking out online could now cost them their lives.