A Tunisian court on Friday sentenced a leading critic of President Kais Saied to five years in prison, marking the latest move in what opposition figures describe as an ongoing campaign to use the judiciary to entrench his authoritarian rule.
Souab was convicted by an anti-terrorism court in Tunis on Friday over comments criticising the judiciary, in which he described judges as working “with a knife to their heads.” He was arrested in April after making the remark, which authorities claimed amounted to a threat.
His defence team, however, argued that the statement was metaphorical and reflected the political pressure faced by the country’s judges.
“Five years in prison, for what? For a figurative phrase, a spontaneous expression that everyone understood as symbolic, except the authorities,” said Souab’s lawyer, Sami Ben Ghazi, condemning the verdict as politically motivated.
The ruling comes amid growing concerns about Tunisia’s human rights record and the shrinking space for dissent. Earlier this week, three major NGOs announced that the government had suspended their operations over alleged foreign funding — a move they described as an attempt to stifle civil society.
Since seizing wide-ranging powers in 2021, dissolving parliament and ruling by decree, Saied has been accused of undermining judicial independence and silencing opposition voices. In 2022, he dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges, prompting criticism from rights groups and foreign governments.
Several leading opposition figures, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, remain in detention on various charges.
President Saied has denied targeting political opponents, insisting his actions are aimed at cleansing the country of corruption and restoring integrity to public institutions. He has repeatedly rejected accusations of authoritarianism, saying he will not become a dictator.
