An amendment that took effect on 30 September replaces prison with fines for first offences under Article 24 of Tunisia's cybercrime decree. Repeat offences can still bring jail time, and rights groups say wider press-freedom concerns remain.
The amendment took effect on 30 September 2026, the day it appeared in Tunisia's Official Gazette. President Kais Saied issued the change to Article 24 of the cybercrime decree.
Decree No. 1 of 2026 amended Article 24 of Decree-Law No. 54, dated 13 September 2022. Xinhua reported that the decree was published and took effect on the same day.
The revised provision covers more than what is commonly called "fake news." It applies to the intentional circulation of false news, rumours or fabricated documents through information and communications systems when the purpose is to harm people's rights, undermine public security or incite hatred. For a first offence, prison is replaced by a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 Tunisian dinars, approximately $3,370 to $6,740, according to Reuters. A fine replaces prison.
Repeat offences can still bring up to six months in prison and a fine of 50,000 dinars. If the affected person is a public official or someone treated as equivalent under the law, the penalties are doubled, Anadolu Agency reported.
Before the amendment, Article 24 allowed up to five years in prison and a 50,000-dinar fine for spreading false information that could harm others' rights or public security. In some cases involving public officials, the prison term could reach 10 years. The first-offence penalty is now much lower. The law still makes repeat publication a crime and keeps higher penalties for cases involving officials. Five years was possible.
Reporters Without Borders called the removal of the five-year sentence a step in the right direction. But its North Africa regional director, Oussama Bouagila, said the change did not bring the law into line with international press-freedom standards. Amnesty International has also warned that the lower first-offence penalty does not resolve wider concerns about Decree No. 54. Repeat offences remain criminal, and penalties are higher when an official is affected.
Lawyer and commentator Sonia Dahmani, former judge Ahmed Souab, party leader Abir Moussi and Franco-Tunisian journalist Mourad Zeghidi have all faced prosecution under the decree. Press-freedom concerns also include prisoners' access to independent media, as discussed in a related report.
Tunisia was widely regarded as the sole democratic success to emerge from the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Rights groups have since criticised what they describe as a rollback of freedoms after Saied consolidated power in 2021. That concern remains.
The amendment narrows the penalties for first offences. It does not change the law's wider scope or remove prison terms for repeat cases and cases involving public officials. The change is limited.
