Opposition leader jailed for social media posts

A Tunisian Military Court has sentenced an opposition ⁠leader to four years in prison on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the ⁠military to disobey orders, her lawyer has said. The charges against Olfa ⁠Hamdi, a dual Tunisian and US national, stemmed from social media posts, said her lawyer Akram Moussa. Hamdi has repeatedly criticised Tunisian President Kais Saied’s rule and called for a transitional government and early presidential elections, reports Al Jazeera. Critics say the case against Hamdi is the latest in a crackdown on opponents of Saied. In Tunisia’s 2024 elections, Hamdi, then 36, sought to run for President. Her candidacy was rejected for not meeting the 40-year age minimum for candidates. Hamdi, the leader of the Third Republic Party, was detained at Tunisia’s main airport after disembarking from a flight in February. She ‌had been living abroad, running a consulting firm in the US after briefly serving as the head of Tunisia’s national airline Tunisair. Hamdi’s sentence comprises two separate two-year prison terms from two additional convictions and 80 000 dinars ($26 000) in fines, her lawyer said. Hamdi was also sentenced in March in a separate case to two years in prison. Global human rights organisations have widely criticised the cases against her. A US Department of State spokesperson told AFP that Washington was ‘closely tracking the situation’.