Tunisian President Saied Reduces Cybercrime Sentences After Rights Groups' Outcry

Kais Saied announced a revision to the cybercrime decree first enacted in 2022, cutting the maximum prison term from ten years to a monetary penalty of 10,000-20,000 Tunisian dinars for first-time offences. Repeat offenders will now receive a six-month jail sentence plus a 50,000-dinar fine, down from the previous possibility of a ten-year term and fines up to 100,000 dinars. The move follows sharp criticism from human-rights groups who say the law was designed to silence dissent and has been used against journalists and political opponents.

Civil society, led by the UGTT union, scheduled a large national march to protest the broader curbs on rights and freedoms. Government officials maintain the legislation is essential for fighting cybercrime, false information and attacks on public order, while Saied repeatedly asserts that freedoms remain guaranteed in Tunisia.