Tunisian Man Faces Death Sentence Over Facebook Posts Criticising President

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Tunisian Man Faces Death Sentence Over Facebook Posts Criticising President

A 56-year-old man, Saber Chouchane, has been sentenced to death for allegedly insulting President Kais Saied and “assaulting state security” through social media posts.

The verdict was handed down by a court in Nabeul and was confirmed on Friday, October 3, 2025 by Chouchane’s lawyer, Oussama Bouthalja, and the Tunisian League for Human Rights. The case has already sparked widespread outrage, one of the harshest punishments for online criticism in the country’s recent history.

“He was sentenced to death for Facebook posts against the president. It’s shocking, unprecedented and terrible,” Bouthalja told Reuters. An appeal has already been filed.

According to the lawyer, Chouchane, a day labourer with limited education, was posting critical comments about President Saied before his arrest last year. His family says he didn’t do anything violent or inciting.

“We can’t believe this is happening,” said Jamal Chouchane, Saber’s brother. “We already live in poverty and now oppression has been added to our suffering.”

Tunisia’s courts have issued death sentences before but none have been carried out in over 30 years. So this ruling has sparked a big debate, with activists accusing the authorities of using the judiciary to silence dissent.

Human rights groups and social media users quickly condemned the sentence, calling it a move to intimidate government critics and suppress freedom of expression. Many warned that such harsh decisions will further isolate Tunisia internationally and deepen domestic unrest.

Since President Saied dissolved parliament in 2021 and started ruling by decree, Tunisia has seen growing concerns over the erosion of democratic freedoms. Opposition figures call Saied’s consolidation of power a “constitutional coup” while several of his critics, including political leaders and journalists, are behind bars.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly called on Tunisian authorities to respect freedom of expression and stop persecuting online critics.

The justice ministry has not issued a statement on the ruling or its implications for the country’s judiciary.And now the proof.

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Tunisian Man Faces Death Sentence Over Facebook Posts Criticising President