Tunisian rights groups press to scrap 'false news' law

Tunisian rights groups and lawmakers issued a demand Thursday for the repeal or revision of Decree 54, a 2022 law criminalizing "false news", AFP reports. Around 400 people, including journalists, lawyers, and public figures, face prosecution under the law, which activists say is being used to silence government critics. The law mandates five-year prison terms, or 10 years if the target is a public official.

Bassem Trifi, head of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, warned of a deteriorating state of freedoms, comparing the crackdown to the unrest before Tunisia’s 2011 revolution. Journalist Mohamed Boughalleb and lawyer Sonia Dahmani are among those jailed under the decree, with courts rejecting their appeals for release.

In February last year, 60 lawmakers sought to revise the law, but parliament has yet to respond. President Kais Saied, ruling by decree since his 2021 power grab, continues to face criticism for jailing opponents under broad charges, raising widespread concerns about Tunisia’s democratic backsliding.