Imagine being thrown back in jail—not for a crime, but for changing the channel.
That’s what happened to a Tunisian inmate who reportedly refused to watch a news segment about President Kais Saied.
His defiance? Asking for the TV to be switched and voicing frustration that the president had, in his words, “ruined my life.”
The man, who had previously been deported from Italy under a controversial deal backed by Saied, was sentenced to six months in prison.
What’s The Reason?
Originally charged under laws protecting the head of state, his case was quietly reframed as a violation of “public decency.”
His lawyer says this move was intended to avoid political fallout.
“This isn’t just censorship—it’s punishment for thought,” said the Tunisian League for Human Rights.
The group slammed the decision as an extension of state control even inside prison walls.
President Saied, who has ruled by decree since his 2021 power grab, faces mounting criticism.
He is eroding freedoms in a country once hailed as a beacon of the Arab Spring.
