A Tunisian court has freed a man sentenced to death last week for Facebook posts criticizing President Kais Saied, following a wave of public discontent and human rights concerns over the case, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The ruling was unprecedented for Tunisia, where restrictions on freedom of expression have been tightened since President Kais Saied took over almost all power in the country in 2021.
The head of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, Oussama Boutalja, who is also the man's lawyer, confirmed the release of his client, 56-year-old worker Saber Chouchane. Saber's brother, Jamal Chouchane, also said Saber had been released, without giving details.
Chouchane is a poorly educated ordinary citizen who had simply written critical posts about the president on social media before being arrested last year, his lawyer told Reuters.
Although Tunisian courts occasionally issue death sentences, none have been carried out in more than three decades.
The sentence immediately sparked a wave of criticism and ridicule on social media among activists and ordinary Tunisians.
Many in the country see Chouchane's punishment as a deliberate attempt to intimidate Saied's critics and warn that such harsh measures stifle free speech and increase political tensions, Reuters points out.
Since Saied dissolved the democratically elected parliament and began ruling by decree, Tunisian authorities have been under severe criticism from human rights groups that it undermines the independence of the judiciary. The opposition has described Saied's actions, which secured expanded powers in 2021, as a coup d'état.
Most of Tunisia's opposition leaders, whom the president calls traitors, have been imprisoned on various charges, Reuters recalls.