Skip links

Abir Moussi Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Criticizing the Independent High Election Commission

Tunis, June 13, 2025 – The Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance issued a two-year prison sentence on Thursday against Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, as part of the case filed against her by the Independent High Election Commission.

Case Background: A Political Conflict Turns into a Judicial Process

The case stems from a complaint filed by the Independent High Election Commission against Moussi, based on media statements and political stances in which she criticized the Commission’s work during the electoral preparations, particularly with regard to the 2022 legislative elections.

This trial is part of a series of cases Moussi has faced over the years, including several prosecutions in which her defense team repeatedly complained about the lack of transparency, the overlap of political dimensions in the trials, and the use of public bodies to prosecute opposition voices.

Multiple Prosecutions in a Closed Political Climate

The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory believes that the prison sentence issued against Abir Moussi in a case related to criticism of a public body constitutes a serious violation of the freedom of political expression, especially when it concerns criticism of institutions that are supposed to be publicly accountable.

The Observatory notes that this trial comes within a broader political context characterized by intensified prosecutions against political opponents of various orientations. This reflects a systematic process of closing down and neutralizing the political sphere and criminalizing criticism, whether through Decree 54 or through the application of criminal charges based on complaints from official bodies.

The Freedom for Tunisia Observatory calls for:

  • Repealing provisions criminalizing legitimate critical speech against public institutions;
  • Ensuring a fair trial for all political opponents, free from selective judicial interference;
  • Ending the use of public bodies, including the Independent High Election Commission, as parties to the prosecution of political opponents;
  • Protecting freedom of expression and political opinion as a constitutional right and a pillar of the democratic system.

The Observatory asserts that the continued persecution of opponents based on complaints filed by state institutions threatens the democratic process and pushes the country toward a state of total political isolation.

Share

More Posts

عربية
Français
Icon-x Facebook Instagram Tiktok Youtube

Call to Action

Website petition: Freedom for prisoners of conscience and activists in Tunisia!

Tunisia is no longer the Arab exception that inspired the world in 2011 with a heroic revolution that overthrew the rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled for nearly 23 years after seizing power on November 7, 1987, in a coup against Habib Bourguiba.

In a similar and perhaps more dangerous move, on the night of July 25, 2021, Tunisian President Kais Saied carried out a “constitutional coup” in accordance with his personal interpretation of Article 80 of the 2014 Revolutionary Constitution, announcing that he had taken a set of exceptional measures due to the “imminent danger” that threatens Tunisia without providing any details or reasons.

In accordance with these measures, Saied dismissed the government and the prime minister Hichem Mechichi who was present at the National Security Council that night at the Carthage Palace, and claimed that he had contacted the Speaker of Parliament Rached Ghannouchi (leader of the Ennahdha party) to consult with him in accordance with what is stipulated by the constitution, a claim which Ghannouchi denied since the call was general and did not include anything about exceptional measures or any consultation on the matter. The president suspended Parliament and later dissolved it in March 2022.

Not only did Saied seek to bypass his powers and the articles of the Constitution, which he swore to protect before the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, but he went on to dismiss and change the composition of the Supreme Judicial Council after redefining the judiciary it as a “function” rather than an independent authority. He further replaced members of the Supreme Electoral Commission in preparation for the referendum he held in order to vote on a constitution that he wrote himself after dismissing the proposals of the drafting committee he had himself appointed. Then legislative elections were held over two rounds, in which the participation rate did not exceed 8% of the total number of voters, with the Election Commission later announcing that it had reached 11%, which is the lowest participation rate in Tunisia and globally.

On February 11, President Saied’s regime launched a campaign of protests that has not stopped since, against political leaders, media figures, journalists, judges and senior officials and civil servants, for charges of “conspiring against the security of the state and committing an offensive act against the President of the Republic,” in addition to other charges that were referred to the military prosecution, leading one to wonder about the implication of the Tunisian army in the actions taken by Saied.

The arbitrary arrests were marred by several procedural violations amid criticism from prominent international organizations and observatories in the field of human rights. The standards of litigation and detention period and conditions were not respected. Prosecution and harassment sometimes extended to the detainees’ families, and no evidence, and in many cases, no charges against them were presented.

Moreover trade unions and political parties continue to be subjected to constant harassment and restrictions. Saied continues to target all “intermediary bodies” accusing them of “collaboration” or “treason”. Civil society associations have also been subjected to prosecution, arbitrary arrests and deprivation from representation, in a context of of increasing violence in society due to the authorities’ adoption of racist and discriminatory speeches and rhetoric inciting infighting and violating human dignity.

In light of the above, we, the undersigned, demand the following:

Call for the immediate release of all political detainees, immediately and unconditionally. We also urge the Tunisian authorities to recognize the national and the international human rights treaties they have ratified.
Call on the Tunisian authorities to stop dismantling the nascent democracy and put an end to unfair trials and prosecutions against political opponents of the regime and anyone who criticises it.
Call on all activists and observers to join the national movement for restoring democracy and ending authoritarian rule that has taken Tunisia back to despotism, injustice, and violations of rights and freedoms.