TUNIS: A key figure in Tunisia’s opposition and a potential candidate for the upcoming presidential election, imprisoned since October, was sentenced to two years in prison late Monday, according to local media.
Abir Moussi, 49, head of the Destourian Free Party and a former member of parliament, filed her candidacy through her lawyers on Saturday, two days before the verdict, local radio station Mosaique FM reported.
Moussi is a staunch critic of incumbent Tunisian President Kais Saied and was convicted under Decree 54, a law passed by Saied in 2022 to combat “fake news”.
The Independent High Commission for Elections (ISIE) filed a complaint against Moussi in February after she made public statements criticizing ISIE as the country prepares for presidential elections.
On Monday morning, Saied submitted his official candidacy for the October 6 election, while key candidates have been barred from challenging the incumbent president – including prosecution and imprisonment.
Registering his candidacy, Saied, 66, told reporters in the capital Tunis that his candidacy was part of a “war for liberation and self-determination” aimed at “establishing a new republic”.
That was shortly before three key presidential candidates said authorities had rejected their requests for access to their criminal records — a requirement for candidates to register to vote — and Moussi’s jail term.
The 49-year-old Moussi, a respected politician and former member of parliament, was arrested on October 3 outside the presidential palace, where she came to file an appeal against the decree issued by Saied.
If the sentence is upheld on appeal or later, Moussi will be officially barred from running, as one of the criteria for candidacy is that candidates must have a clean criminal record.
She is accused of other crimes, including “attacks intended to change the form of government”, in addition to her prosecution under Decree 54.
Critics said the law was used to suppress political dissent as the country prepares for elections in which Saied is a front-runner.
According to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, more than 60 critical voices have been prosecuted under the decree over the past 18 months.
Several potential challengers to Saied – who seized sweeping powers two years after his 2019 election – are either in prison or under prosecution.
Media personality Nizar Chaari was also sentenced to eight months in prison on Monday night, days after three of his campaign staff were arrested on suspicion of forging signatures.
Mondher Zenaidi said in a video posted on Facebook that “the authority working under Saied’s instructions refused to issue (him) a criminal record”.
The move unofficially bars him and others from entering the race, with the August 6 filing deadline looming.
Retired Admiral Kamel Akrout also said in a Facebook post that authorities “couldn’t deliver (his) criminal record” because the job title on his ID card was out of date.
“The ruling authority has decided to exclude every opposition voice” and “to move towards an undemocratic system that rejects pluralism and the peaceful transition of power”, Akrout said.
Rapper-turned-entrepreneur Karim Gharbi – better known by his stage name K2Rhym – posted a video on Facebook showing a letter rejecting his application for a criminal record, without giving a reason.
Last week, four women working on Gharbi’s presidential campaign received jail time for allegedly buying endorsements.
To be placed on the ballot, candidates must submit a list of signatures from 10,000 registered voters with a minimum of 500 voter signatures per constituency.
Saied said he had collected over 240,000 signatures.
Faced with accusations of a crackdown, Saied denied on Monday that his government had mistreated critical voices, saying “anyone who talks about restrictions is delusional”.
“I have not oppressed anyone and the law applies equally to all,” he said. “I am here as a citizen to run.
“We will not accept any foreign party interfering in the election of our people,” he added.
Other jailed potential candidates include Issam Chebbi, leader of the centrist Al Joumhouri party, and Ghazi Chaouchi, head of the social democratic Democratic Current party, both held for “conspiracy against the state”.
The two politicians are among more than 20 of Saied’s opponents detained since the arrests began in February 2023.
A group of about 30 non-governmental organizations last week condemned the “arbitrary detention of candidates”, the electoral body “losing its independence” and the “monopolization of public space” to support Saied’s re-election bid.
Last month, Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said that since Saied’s seizure of power, “violations that we thought were part of Tunisia’s past have become increasingly recognizable and systematic”.
“Instead of lively debates in a pluralistic political arena, I observed government repression that fueled fear and dread of what was to come.” Saied said on Monday that “we are in a war for liberation and we do not want to restrict anyone’s freedom… I did not interfere with the judiciary.”
