Tunisian put to jail after refusing to watch president on TV: lawyer

Tunisian put to jail after refusing to watch president on TV: lawyer
————————–
A Tunisian inmate was sentenced to six months in prison after refusing to watch a TV news segment about President Kais Saied, Arab News reported quoting his lawyer and an NGO.
Initially charged under a law protecting the head of state, the charge was later changed to violating public decency to avoid political implications. The inmate was reported by a cellmate for refusing to watch presidential coverage on TV in his cell. His lawyer said the man, deported from Italy where he lived undocumented, insulted the president and demanded the channel be changed, blaming Saied for ruining his life through a deportation deal with Italy.
The inmate had been held on an unrelated case that was dismissed, and his family only learned of the new sentence when he was not released as expected. The case highlights concerns over shrinking freedoms under Saied’s rule since his 2021 power grab.