Tunisia jails opposition politician for four years over social media posts

Olfa ⁠Hamdi, a US-Tunisian national, was convicted of ‘plotting’ and ‘inciting’ military to disobey orders.

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 United States national, stemmed from social media posts, her lawyer Akram Moussa said on Wednesday. Hamdi has repeatedly criticised Tunisian President Kais Saied’s rule and called for a transitional government and early presidential elections.

Critics say the case against Hamdi is the latest in a crackdown on opponents of Saied.

In Tunisia’s 2024 elections, Hamdi, who was 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 the AFP news agency that Washington was “closely tracking the situation”.

“The [President Donald] Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,” he said.

Rights groups have criticised Saied, accusing him of rolling back freedoms in a 2021 power grab.

Thousands of ‌Tunisians joined the largest protest against Saied in years on Saturday, accusing him of undermining democracy and ‌mishandling ‌the economy. Opposition leaders, activists ⁠and journalists have been imprisoned during his rule.

Saied rejects accusations that he is targeting political opponents and critics, saying the law applies to everyone regardless of their position.