Tunisian influencer sentenced to 4 years in jail

A Tunisian social media influencer received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for posting content deemed immoral, while four others await trial in the same case, local media reported Thursday according to AFP.  Mosaique FM reported that these five individuals—three women and two men—have been detained since Monday. Charges include “harassment, use of obscenities, and posing in ways considered immoral,” actions viewed as potentially harmful to young audiences.

On Sunday Tunisia's justice ministry urged prosecutors to crackdown on content that allegedly threatens "moral values," condemning the spread of material “contrary to public morals” on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The case has ignited a debate over morality versus freedom of expression. Some supporters approve of regulating inappropriate content online, while critics see this as an attack on personal freedoms. Nawaat, a Tunisian online magazine, suggested that these arrests reflect a trend of repressive restrictions, further evidenced by President Kais Saied's recent consolidation of power and limits on civil liberties.