A Tunisian man sentenced to death over social media posts has been granted a presidential pardon, but the case has already laid bare the intensifying crackdown on dissent.
Saber Ben Chouchane, arrested for allegedly insulting President Kais Saied and other state officials online, became a symbol of Tunisia’s ongoing collapse into speech policing, where voicing criticism can now come with a fatal price tag.
Ben Chouchane, 51, was sentenced in early 2024 under Decree 54, a sweeping cybercrime law passed in 2022 that criminalizes the spread of “false news” and insults targeting public officials.
Authorities accused him of offending the president, the justice minister, and the judiciary in Facebook posts. But the actual content of those posts was never made public. No evidence was presented suggesting that his words posed any threat to public safety or national security.
The court’s decision to impose the death penalty shocked observers both inside and outside Tunisia.
While executions remain on the books, none have been carried out in over three decades. The punishment marked an unprecedented leap in the use of legal tools to stifle dissent.
The sentence drew immediate outrage online, with many voicing disbelief that nonviolent speech could lead to such a punishment.
After months of mounting domestic and international pressure, Ben Chouchane withdrew his legal appeal, paving the way for a presidential pardon.
Ben Chouchane’s case highlighted just how far this politicization has gone. Decree 54 has become a blunt instrument for targeting anyone who challenges state authority, from journalists and lawyers to ordinary citizens expressing frustration online.
Trials increasingly resemble political statements rather than impartial proceedings.
