President’s critic jailed for five years

A Tunisian court has sentenced Ahmed Souab, a lawyer and fierce critic of President Kais Saied, to five years in prison, his lawyer said, in a case that rights groups say marks a deepening crackdown on dissent in the North African country. According to Al Jazeera, defence lawyer Yosr Hamid said on Friday that her client had received an additional three-year sentence of ‘administrative supervision’ after he was arrested in April following criticism of the legal process in a trial of prominent figures, including opposition leaders. Souab’s trial on ‘anti-terror’ charges lasted just seven minutes, according to Hamid, who voiced fears it sets a troubling legal precedent. Hundreds of opposition figures, lawyers, journalists, trade unionists and humanitarian workers in Tunisia are being prosecuted for ‘conspiracy’ or in connection with a ‘fake news’ decree by authorities. That legislation, Decree Law 54, has been criticised by rights activists, who are concerned over its broad interpretation by some courts. Souab, was not allowed to appear in court on Friday, declining to testify via videolink, according to Hamid. His legal team refused to enter a plea under the conditions. Souab faces around a dozen charges related to the presidential decree on false information.