A Tunisian appeals court on Friday reduced the prison sentence for TV broadcaster Borhen Bssais from one year to eight months, according to his lawyer, Nizar Ayed.
The original 12-month sentence was given under a law against “spreading false information” and “defaming others.”
Bssais had been arrested on May 11, facing charges related to his criticism of President Kais Saied through radio broadcasts from 2019 to 2022.
The court’s decision to shorten his sentence was announced by Ayed, who shared the news with AFP.
Enacted in 2022 by Saied, Tunisia’s Decree 54 was intended to tackle “false news,” but critics argue it has been used to suppress political dissent, especially as the presidential election approaches on October 6.
The National Union of Tunisian Journalists reports that over 60 critics have been prosecuted under Decree 54 in the past 18 months.
Amnesty International’s Agnes Callamard expressed alarm at the erosion of human rights progress in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution.
Callamard condemned the increased arrests and arbitrary prosecutions, noting the troubling regression in justice and human rights in Tunisia during her recent four-day visit.
