By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
Tunisia was rocked on Friday by an unprecedented court ruling after a 56-year-old labourer, Saber Chouchane, was sentenced to death for Facebook posts critical of President Kaïs Saied.
Chouchane, a father of three described by relatives as an ordinary worker with little formal education, had used a Facebook page titled “Kaïs le misérable” (“Kaïs the miserable”) to share caricatures of the president, call for protests, and publish pointed criticisms of his rule.
The ruling, which his lawyer called “incredible and deeply alarming,” has stunned many Tunisians and sparked widespread outrage. Chouchane’s family expressed shock at the sentence, confirming that he has already filed an appeal.
Tunisia has not carried out an execution in decades, although courts occasionally issue death penalties. Even so, never before has such a sentence been delivered in response to political criticism, underscoring the extent of the country’s democratic backsliding under Saied.
Since consolidating power in 2021, Saied has been accused of curtailing freedoms, dissolving parliament, ruling by decree, and clamping down on opposition voices. Human rights advocates say the death sentence signals a dangerous escalation in the suppression of dissent.
“This verdict crosses a line Tunisia had never crossed before,” a political analyst told local media, warning that it risks deepening the climate of fear among citizens who still use social media to criticise the government.
The case comes amid broader concerns over shrinking civic space in Tunisia, where opposition leaders and activists have faced arrest, trials, and lengthy prison sentences. Rights groups are urging the international community to put pressure on Tunisian authorities to respect basic freedoms.
For now, Chouchane remains on death row as his appeal makes its way through the courts, a case that many say will test Tunisia’s commitment, or lack thereof, to democratic values.
