Tunisia’s president vows to target ‘rumors’ and ‘slander’ shared online, raising fears of an increased crackdown on dissent
Tunisian President Kais Saied has announced his intention to crack down on “anarchy” online, which could mean an intensified crackdown on dissent on social media.
According to a statement posted on the Tunisian presidency’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Saied said he wanted to partner with other countries to prevent online “crimes” on social media.
“The president emphasized that death threats, indignity, spreading rumors and insults have nothing to do with freedom of thought or freedom of expression,” the statement read.
Saied seized all power in Tunisia following a coup in July 2021, in which he dismissed his government and dissolved parliament while revoking the immunity of its members.
He followed that up with a referendum a year later that cemented his powers and the crackdown on political dissent, with the main target being the conservative Ennahdha party, which once held the most seats in the National Assembly.
Ennahdha leaders, including its founder Rached Ghannouchi and top leader Said Ferjani , were arrested in connection with this crackdown.
Activists, such as blogger Sahbi Omari, once affiliated with Ennahdha but later a critic of the party, have also been arrested .
Grip on power
Since the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the country’s economy has been on the brink .
Saied has repeatedly criticized his own officials for their failure to end food shortages , blackouts and water cuts.
For many young Tunisians, there is no hope for a future in their country and many have tried to start a new life in Europe.
Despite these economic difficulties, until the 2021 coup, the country experienced a period of relative political freedom which saw the emergence of a multi-party democracy, where Ennahdha formed one of the country’s political forces.
After his coup in the summer of 2021, Saied sought to crush the party as an effective voice of opposition.
Many of those arrested in connection were affiliated with the movement, but there are signs that Saied is looking to expand his list of targets.
African migrants have become a scapegoat in the country, after a speech by Saied in which he denounced a plot to change Tunisia’s demographic composition.
These comments have led to the persecution of black Africans in Tunisia, as well as their deportation to countries where they risk death.
Human rights organizations like Amnesty International have expressed concern that laws targeting so-called cybercrime are also being used to go after critics.
“The new decree-law provides for heavy prison sentences based on ambiguous terms such as ‘fake news’,” the NGO said in a report in December.
In October, cybercrime laws were used against lawyer Mehdi Zagrouba, accused of defaming Justice Minister Leïla Jaffel on Facebook.
Tunisian authorities were “investigating criticism under a repressive new cybersecurity law, which is just the latest attack on President Saied’s legislative human rights safeguards”, Heba Morayef said at the time. , Amnesty Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa
