Abir Moussi’s imprisonment highlights growing repression in Tunisia

Tunisian opposition leader Abir Moussi has had her initial two-year prison sentence reduced to one year and four months upon appeal.

Moussi, leader of the Free Destourian Party (PDL) and a self-proclaimed advocate of the legacy of Tunisia’s autocratic leaders Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was sentenced in August to two years in prison for her criticism of the country’s electoral authority, ISIE.

The charges stem from remarks made in early 2023 and were prosecuted under Presidential Decree 54, which penalizes the dissemination of "false news." The decree has faced sharp criticism from opposition figures, journalists, and human rights organizations for its broad and vague interpretations.

Moussi, 49, a former parliamentarian and vocal critic of both President Kaïs Saied and the Islamist opposition party Ennahdha, has been in detention since October 3, 2023. She was arrested outside the presidential palace while, according to her party, attempting to submit legal challenges against decrees issued by President Saied.

She faces several serious charges, including accusations of attempting to "change the form of government." She is suspected of seeking to restore a political regime akin to that of Ben Ali, who was ousted during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011.

Moussi’s case is part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures in Tunisia. Key leaders such as Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha movement, and social-democratic politicians Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi are also behind bars, accused of conspiring against state security.

Since President Saied’s power grab in the summer of 2021, critics have accused his government of rolling back Tunisia’s democratic gains. The country, once hailed as the sole success story of the Arab Spring, now faces growing international and domestic condemnation for deteriorating human rights and freedoms.