Tunisian man sentenced to DEATH for Facebook posts freed after presidential pardon
By ramontomeydw // 2025-10-11
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  • Saber Ben Chouchane, a Tunisian man sentenced to death for critical Facebook posts about President Kais Saied and other officials, was freed after a presidential pardon following international outcry.
  • The case was prosecuted under Decree 54, a 2022 cybercrime law criminalizing "false news" and insults against officials, widely used to target critics since Saied dissolved Tunisia's parliament in 2021.
  • The posts’ content was never disclosed, and no proof was presented that they endangered public safety, exposing the law's use as a tool to crush opposition.
  • Amnesty International and Tunisian rights groups called the death penalty an "outrageous assault on human rights," warning of Tunisia’s escalating repression under Saied's authoritarian rule.
  • While Ben Chouchane was freed, the case highlights how governments weaponize laws to silence dissent—mirroring globalist censorship tactics seen in the West.
In a dramatic reversal that underscores the precarious state of free expression worldwide, a Tunisian man sentenced to death for critical social media posts was freed from custody following a presidential pardon. Saber Ben Chouchane, 51, was released from prison after his case ignited international condemnation and exposed the severe tactics used by governments to criminalize dissent. Ben Chouchane's prosecution centered on Facebook posts deemed insulting to Tunisian President Kais Saied and other officials. The 51-year-old was arrested in January 2024 and later sentenced to death by a court in Nabeul, a city east of Tunis. The charges as detailed by his lawyer Oussama Bouthelja included "insulting the president, the minister of justice and the judiciary," spreading false news and incitement based on his Facebook activity. The specific content of the posts was never made public, and no evidence was presented to suggest they posed a threat to public safety or national security. The verdict sent shockwaves through human rights communities. Bouthelja said he had been "shocked, stunned [and] astonished" by the decision, a sentiment echoed by advocacy groups who saw the death penalty as a grotesque escalation in the suppression of speech. But following months of mounting domestic and international pressure, the path for a pardon was cleared when Ben Chouchane withdrew his legal appeal. Bouthelja confirmed that after filing an appeal on Friday, Oct. 3, he was later informed his client had withdrawn it. Ben Chouchane was subsequently released overnight and was sent home to be with his family.

Tunisia's Decree 54 mirrors Western censorship playbook

The legal instrument used against Ben Chouchane was Decree 54, a cybercrime law enacted by Saied in September 2022 that criminalizes the spread of "false news" and insults targeting public officials. Since Saied dissolved Tunisia's elected parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, this law has become a primary tool for prosecuting his critics. Dozens are currently behind bars under its provisions, according to reports. The Paris-based Tunisian human rights group CRLDHT stated the verdict in this case set "a serious precedent" and that Tunisia had "reached unprecedented levels of human rights violations." Amnesty International Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Heba Morayef described the initial sentence as "a significant escalation and an outrageous assault on human rights." She added that the use of the death penalty in this case illustrated "a government weaponizing the justice system to crush freedom of expression and the slightest sign of dissent." While the pardon ends Ben Chouchane's personal ordeal, it does not erase the chilling message sent by the original sentence. It represents a stark warning about the weaponization of legal systems against political critics, a concern that resonates with ongoing debates over censorship and state overreach in the United States and other Western nations. The case has also laid bare the intensifying crackdown on dissent in a country once hailed as the sole democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring. Trials under Decree 54 increasingly resemble political statements rather than impartial judicial proceedings, with citizens, journalists and lawyers targeted for challenging state authority. Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine warns that Decree 54 and similar laws "dangerously erode free speech by allowing governments to silence critics and dissent under the guise of protecting officials, paving the way for authoritarian control. They weaponize vague definitions of 'insult' to punish political opposition, stifle truth-telling and dismantle constitutional rights – exactly as globalist elites intend to suppress resistance to their corruption and tyranny." This incident in Tunisia provides a sobering international context for the ongoing struggle to protect free speech. While the death penalty for criticism is an extreme manifestation, the underlying dynamic where governments move to legally penalize and silence opposing viewpoints is a global phenomenon. The case serves as a potent reminder that the fundamental right to express dissent, a cornerstone of democratic societies, remains under constant threat from laws that conflate criticism with crime. Watch Tunisian President Kais Saied, the architect of Decree 54, announcing his country's plans to join the BRICS group. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ReclaimTheNet.org NewArab.com AlJazeera.com Brighteon.ai Brighteon.com
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