Tunisian military court jails opposition politician for four years over social media posts
A Tunisian military court has sentenced opposition politician Olfa Hamdi to four years in prison over social media posts, according to her lawyer. The case centres on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the military to disobey orders. Hamdi is the leader of the Third Republic Party and a dual Tunisian and United States national.
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Her lawyer, Akram Moussa, said the charges stemmed from posts online. He said the sentence was made up of two separate two-year prison terms from additional convictions, along with 80,000 dinars, or about $26,000, in fines. Hamdi has also previously been sentenced in March in a separate case to two years in prison, according to the same account.
The ruling adds to a series of legal cases against a prominent critic of President Kais Saied. Hamdi has repeatedly criticised Saied's rule and called for a transitional government and early presidential elections. She was detained at Tunisia's main airport in February after arriving on a flight, and had been living abroad while running a consulting firm in the United States after briefly heading Tunisia's national airline, Tunisair.
The case comes amid wider criticism from rights groups and opposition figures over the treatment of government critics in Tunisia. Saied's opponents say the authorities have intensified pressure on dissent since his 2021 power grab, while he has rejected accusations of targeting political opponents and says the law applies equally to everyone. Hamdi had also sought to run in Tunisia's 2024 presidential election, but her candidacy was rejected because she did not meet the minimum age requirement of 40.
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The sentence is likely to draw further attention because Hamdi is both a political figure and a dual national, and because the charges relate to speech rather than violence. A US State Department spokesperson said Washington was closely tracking the situation and stressed the safety and security of American citizens. Human rights organisations have also criticised the cases against her, while the broader political climate in Tunisia remains tense after recent protests against Saied's rule and economic management.
What remains unclear is whether Hamdi will appeal the latest sentence and how the separate convictions will be handled in practice. It is also not clear whether the military court ruling will affect her earlier case or lead to further proceedings. For now, the case stands as another sign of the continuing legal pressure on opposition voices in Tunisia.
