By Micah Jonah, February 21, 2026
A Tunisian court has sentenced lawmaker Ahmed Saidani to eight months in prison after he posted content on social media mocking President Kais Saied. Critics say the verdict signals an intensifying crackdown on dissenting voices in the country.
Once a supporter of Saied’s policies, Saidani has become a vocal critic, accusing the President of centralizing power while blaming others for national problems. He was arrested earlier this month following a Facebook post in which he referred to Saied as the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage.”
Judicial officials confirmed the charge was based on insulting others through communication networks. Saidani’s colleague, Bilel Mechri, condemned the arrest as unlawful, questioning how parliament can hold the executive accountable if critical voices are criminalized.
Saidani was elected in late 2022 in a low-turnout parliamentary election after Saied dissolved the previous parliament and dismissed the government in 2021. Since then, Saied has ruled largely by decree, a move opponents describe as a consolidation of power.
Human rights groups argue that the President has effectively turned Tunisia into an “open-air prison” to suppress opposition, while Saied maintains that his actions are legal and necessary to “cleanse” the country.
