On October 1, 2025, a Tunisian court handed down a death sentence to Saber Chouchane, a 51-year-old day laborer and father of three, for a series of Facebook posts critical of President Kais Saied. The unprecedented ruling, which has sent shockwaves through Tunisia and beyond, has been widely condemned by human rights organizations, legal experts, and political activists. Many see it as a glaring symbol of the North African nation’s rapid slide away from the democratic promise of the Arab Spring.
Chouchane, who posted under the pseudonym “Kaïs le misérable,” used his modest Facebook account—followed by fewer than 400 people—to criticize President Saied, call for protests, and share satirical caricatures. According to his lawyer, Oussama Bouthalja, Chouchane’s online activity was largely limited to sharing content copied from other pages, with some posts receiving little to no engagement. “Most of the content he shared was copied from other pages, and some posts received no engagement at all,” Bouthalja told the Associated Press. “In court, he explained that his intent was not to incite unrest, but to draw attention to his difficult living conditions.”
The charges against Chouchane were severe: attempting to overthrow the state, insulting the president, spreading false information online, and “committing a heinous act” against the President of the Republic. The latter, in Tunisian legal terms, refers to any act considered a serious attack on the person or office of the president, such as threats or behavior deemed a direct affront to state authority. The court found that Chouchane’s posts violated Tunisia’s penal code as well as the controversial 2022 cybercrime legislation known as Decree 54, which criminalizes content considered harmful to public safety or national defense.
Chouchane, who has suffered a permanent disability since a workplace accident in 2004 and provides for his three children and elderly mother, has been detained since January 2024. His family, already struggling with poverty, was left reeling by the verdict. “We never imagined this could happen. We’re poor people, and now we’re facing oppression and injustice on top of hardship,” his brother, Jamal Chouchane, told reporters.
Bouthalja, the defense lawyer, described the verdict as “shocking and without precedent.” He confirmed that an appeal has been filed, expressing hope that higher courts will overturn what he called an “unjust and politically motivated” sentence. “The court sentenced him to death over Facebook posts criticizing the president. It’s a decision that defies belief,” Bouthalja said.
The ruling has triggered an outpouring of outrage across Tunisia. Civil society groups, opposition parties, and professional organizations such as the Tunisian Association of Young Lawyers have denounced the verdict as a flagrant violation of freedom of expression and a dangerous escalation in the government’s crackdown on dissent. The “Tunisia Towards Integration” movement and the Unified Democratic Patriots Party both issued statements rejecting the death sentence and calling for an investigation into the circumstances of the case. The latter described the ruling as “bizarre, suspicious, and devoid of any legal or moral basis,” urging “genuine accountability, rather than merely transferring the judge or stripping him of his title.”
International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have also weighed in, warning that the verdict could set a chilling precedent for the entire region. They argue that Tunisia’s Decree 54, originally intended to combat misinformation, has become a blunt instrument for silencing critics, journalists, and opposition figures. “This verdict sends a chilling message to anyone who dares to criticize the government online,” one Tunis-based legal observer told the Associated Press. “It is not only disproportionate—it is meant to instill fear.”
Since President Saied’s dramatic consolidation of power in July 2021—when he dissolved parliament, ruled by decree, and restructured the judiciary—Tunisia has seen a marked erosion of civil liberties and political freedoms. The government has detained numerous opposition leaders, journalists, and activists, often on charges of treason, conspiracy, or terrorism. In April 2025, a Tunisian court handed down prison sentences ranging from 13 to 66 years to dozens of opposition figures in what activists described as a politically motivated trial. Among those convicted was former legislator Said Ferjani, whose daughter denounced the proceedings as “yet another fabricated conspiracy case.”
Legal experts and rights advocates argue that the judiciary, once a pillar of Tunisia’s post-revolution democracy, is increasingly being used as a tool of political repression. Abdelkader Ben Souissi, head of the Nabeul branch of the Bar Association, noted that Chouchane’s case was initially handled by the Judicial Pole for Counter-Terrorism before being transferred to the Nabeul criminal court due to the “absence of a terrorist nature.” Despite this, the charges remained severe, and the sentence extreme.
Tunisia retains the death penalty in its criminal code, but no executions have been carried out since 1991. Courts continue to issue death sentences—mainly in cases involving premeditated murder or terrorism—but these are typically commuted to life imprisonment. The symbolic reintroduction of the death penalty for political speech, however, has alarmed observers who fear it signals the final dismantling of Tunisia’s hard-won freedoms. “A man is condemned to die for Facebook posts. This is not the Tunisia we fought for in 2011,” one activist wrote on social media.
President Saied and his administration have consistently denied restricting freedoms, insisting that rights are guaranteed by law. Yet, the mounting evidence of politically motivated prosecutions, the intimidation of journalists and activists, and the targeting of ordinary citizens for online speech tell a different story. As Tunisia faces mounting economic challenges, high unemployment, and deepening political polarization, the government’s approach to dissent has become a flashpoint for unrest and international scrutiny.
The Ministry of Justice has yet to issue a formal statement on Chouchane’s case or the appeal process. For now, his fate hangs in the balance—a stark reminder of the growing tensions between state authority and individual freedoms in Tunisia. Rights groups and international observers are watching closely, hoping that the country’s long-standing moratorium on executions will hold, and that the courts will ultimately uphold the principles of justice and free expression.
As the world looks on, Tunisia stands at a crossroads, its democratic future uncertain, and the cost of dissent higher than ever before.
