Tunisian Lawmaker Sentenced: A Crackdown on Dissent?

A Tunisian court sentenced lawmaker Ahmed Saidani to eight months in prison for social media posts mocking President Kais Saied, a decision critics argue intensifies a crackdown on dissent.

Saidani, once a supporter of Saied, has become a vocal critic, claiming the president monopolizes decision-making. His arrest came after a Facebook post where Saidani described Saied as the 'supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage.'

His detention follows Saied's controversial actions, including dissolving parliament and ruling by decree, which opposition leaders describe as a coup. Human rights groups criticize Saied's actions as suppressing dissent, turning Tunisia into an 'open-air prison.'