A Tunisian court on Thursday sentenced lawmaker Ahmed Saidani to eight months in prison for criticising President Kais Saied following deadly floods. Local media reported that the ruling came weeks after severe rainfall devastated several regions across the country.
Saidani was arrested earlier this month after posting comments on social media mocking Saied’s flood-zone visits. He described the president as the “supreme commander of sanitation and stormwater drainage,” in remarks authorities deemed offensive.
His lawyer, Houssem Eddine Ben Attia, said prosecutors charged him under a telecommunications law targeting online harm. The statute carries a potential prison sentence of up to two years for social media offences.
Rights groups say the case reflects a wider erosion of freedoms since Saied consolidated sweeping powers in 2021. They report that dozens of critics have faced prosecution or imprisonment under laws criminalising false news and online dissent.
Saidani had previously supported Saied’s power grab and the detention of several opposition figures. In recent months, however, he emerged as an outspoken critic of the president’s leadership.
Tunisia last month endured its heaviest rainfall in more than seventy years, leaving streets submerged and families displaced. At least five people died and others remain missing as authorities continue recovery efforts.
The floods, relentless and unforgiving, have intensified scrutiny of the government’s crisis response. Saidani’s sentencing adds another chapter to Tunisia’s deepening political tensions amid mounting public discontent.