A 51-year-old Tunisian man, Saber Ben Chouchane,
who was sentenced on charges of spreading false news and insulting
state officials, has been released after months in detention, his lawyer Oussama
Bouthelja confirmed on Tuesday.
Ben Chouchane, detained since January 2024, had
been convicted last week by a court in Nabeul, east of Tunis, for
allegedly insulting President Kais Saied, the justice minister, and the
judiciary through his online posts, some of which were deemed incitement.
Bouthelja said he was “shocked” by the verdict
but confirmed that Ben Chouchane’s family informed him of his release
overnight.
“My family contacted me and said that he had returned
and was at home,” the lawyer told AFP, adding that he was still awaiting
official clarification from the courts.
The Paris-based Tunisian Human Rights League
(CRLDHT) condemned the earlier verdict, warning that Tunisia had reached “unprecedented
levels of human rights violations” and that the case set a “serious
precedent.”
Ben Chouchane’s case drew attention to Decree 54,
a controversial law introduced by President Saied in September 2022 that
criminalises “spreading false news.” Human rights groups have repeatedly
criticised the decree for stifling free expression and jailing government
critics.
Since Saied’s 2021 power grab, dozens of
journalists, activists, and opposition figures have been prosecuted under the
law.
Although Tunisian courts still issue death
sentences, none have been carried out since 1991.
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