A Tunisian court has sentenced a sitting lawmaker to eight months in prison over social media posts that mocked Kais Saied in the aftermath of deadly flooding across the country.
The MP, Ahmed Saidani, was arrested earlier this month after publishing posts online that ridiculed the president’s visits to flood-affected areas. In one widely shared comment, Saidani sarcastically referred to Saied as the “supreme commander of sanitation and rainwater drainage,” a remark that authorities said crossed the line into criminal insult.
On Thursday, the court handed down the eight-month prison sentence after convicting Saidani of insulting others through communication networks, according to a judicial official. The charges were brought under Tunisia’s telecommunications laws, which criminalise online speech deemed harmful to others.
Saidani’s lawyer, Houssem Eddine Ben Attia, told AFP that the prosecution relied on legislation targeting the misuse of social media, an offence that can carry a sentence of up to two years in prison. He criticised the case as an attempt to punish political expression rather than a legitimate application of the law.
The jailing has drawn fresh criticism from human rights groups, who say it reflects an intensifying crackdown on dissent since President Saied suspended parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. Since then, opponents argue, the space for political criticism in Tunisia has narrowed significantly, with arrests increasingly targeting politicians, activists, lawyers and journalists.
Saidani’s case is notable because he was once a supporter of Saied’s consolidation of power, including the arrest of opposition figures. In recent months, however, he has become a vocal critic of the president, accusing him of centralising authority and avoiding accountability.
In the Facebook post that led to his arrest, Saidani mocked the president for what he described as turning disaster visits into photo opportunities, accusing Saied of “taking up the hobby of taking photos with the poor and destitute” while touring flooded neighbourhoods in Tunis and other affected areas. His comments followed unusually heavy rainfall last month that killed at least five people and left several others missing, according to authorities.
Elected to parliament in 2022, Saidani has also accused the president of monopolising decision-making while shifting blame onto others when policies fail. His arrest has alarmed some fellow lawmakers, who argue it undermines the principle of parliamentary oversight.
“This is a violation of the law and an attack on institutions,” fellow MP Bilel Mechri told Reuters. “How can parliament hold the executive authority to account if it carries out an unlawful arrest over critical views?”
President Saied first came to power in 2019, presenting himself as a reformer who would restore stability after years of political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that ousted long-time ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. While some initially welcomed his moves, critics now accuse him of re-establishing elements of authoritarian rule and rolling back hard-won political freedoms.
Last November, a Tunisian court sentenced dozens of opposition figures, lawyers and businessmen to prison terms on charges related to plotting against the state. Saied, now 67, rejects accusations of dictatorship, insisting that his actions are lawful and aimed at “cleansing” the country of corruption and wrongdoing.
Although Tunisian lawmakers are generally protected by parliamentary immunity while carrying out their official duties, the law allows for their detention if they are accused of committing a criminal offence. In Saidani’s case, the court ruled that his online posts fell outside the scope of protected parliamentary activity, clearing the way for his conviction and imprisonment.
