Critics Silenced: Tunisian Court Sentences Opposition Figure

A Tunisian court has sentenced Ahmed Souab, a former administrative judge and noted critic of President Kais Saied, to five years in prison. This latest action is viewed by many as part of Saied's intensified campaign against opposition figures.

Souab was convicted by an anti-terrorism court over remarks criticizing the judiciary, which Tunisian authorities deemed threatening. However, his defense argued that his comments, referring to judges as working "with a knife to their heads," highlighted political pressures on the judiciary. "For merely a figurative phrase, Ahmed Souab now serves as a symbol of the broader crackdown on dissent," said his lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi.

Amidst Saied's rule since 2021, which includes dissolving parliament and exerting enhanced powers, the independence of the Tunisian judiciary is under scrutiny. His opponents denounce these actions as undermining democratic institutions, calling for international attention to what they describe as regime overreach.