Comedian jailed in absentia over satirical play

Tunisian comedian and actor Lotfi Abdelli said on Friday a court in Tunisia had sentenced him in absentia to 18 months in prison, reports Channel Africa. Abdelli said it was over a play he performed years ago and described the ruling as ‌politically motivated and aimed at stifling critical voices. Tunisian media reported that Abdelli had been charged with insulting state officials and offending public morals. He has in recent months stepped up his satirical criticism of President Kais Saied over his handling of the situation in Tunisia, where rights groups say the government has cracked down on dissent since Saied ⁠began ruling by decree in 2021. ‘The verdict hurts me, but it is also a source of pride that adds to my ‌artistic ⁠achievements, because I am being sentenced to prison over my play, and freedom of expression.’ Abdelli, a film and television actor, has had his shows performed for years to packed houses. He has long mocked politicians in Tunisia and portrayed them in a caricatured manner. Free speech had initially flourished following ⁠the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and led to the 'Arab Spring'. But critics say Saied’s accumulation of power in 2021 and decrees he has issued since then have dismantled democratic ⁠safeguards and enabled the authorities to pursue many journalists. The leaders of Tunisia’s main opposition parties have been jailed in the last three years, along with dozens of politicians, journalists, activists ⁠and businessmen, on charges of conspiring against state security, money laundering and corruption.

Full Channel Africa report