The case Saber Ben Chouchanewhich had aroused a wave of indignation, is experiencing a Unexpected and fast outcome. The 51 -year -old fifties was Relaxed by Tunisian justicejust a few days after being sentenced to the death penalty For Facebook publications deemed offensive to the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed. The announcement was made this morning by his lawyer, Me Osama Bouthaljaon his Facebook page, causing immense relief among defenders of human rights and freedom of expression.
On October 1, 2025, Tunisia had been shaken by the announcement of the death conviction by Saber Ben Chouchane by the Military tribunal of first instance of Tunis. Chouchane, 51 years old, father and unemployed and unemployed stable, had published on Facebook statutes and content containing criticisms deemed offensive against President Kaïs Saïed. Capital sentence had been pronounced under the Military Justice Codean application that had aroused strong questions about the legitimacy of resorting to military justice to judge a civilian on the basis of his opinions on social networks. Ben Chouchane had been in detention since January 24, 2024 and had already been prosecuted for similar reasons.
This sentence, of extreme severity for an offense of opinion, had immediately provoked strong political and associative reactions. Many political parties, civil society organizations and human rights associations had denounced a blatant damage to freedom of expressionalerting on the drift of individual freedoms and on the instrumentalization of justice for political repression ends, in a post-July 2021 context marked by the Coup de force by President Saïed.
The release of Saber Ben Chouchane constitutes an unexpected judicial reversal, highlighting the persistent tensions between authority and freedom of expression in Tunisia, and offering a symbolic respite to those who are concerned about the future of fundamental rights in the country.
Read:: Death condemnation for Facebook publications: strong political and associative reactions
