Tunisia’s Escalating Crackdown on Digital Expression Must End

Skyline for Human Rights is deeply concerned about the Tunisian government’s intensifying assault on freedom of expression under the guise of protecting "public morals." The recent wave of arrests and harsh sentences targeting social media users, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and civil society activists reveals a dangerous escalation of censorship and repression that flagrantly violate Tunisia’s international commitments and its own Constitution.

On October 27, 2024, the Tunisian Ministry of Justice authorized public prosecutors to take legal action and open criminal investigations against anyone who publishes or produces content on social media, particularly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, deemed to conflict with “public morals” or “moral or societal values.” As a result, a number of content creators were arrested and prison sentences were issued against them. 

Just days after the directive, seven social media influences —including Khubayb, Lady Samara, Afifa and her husband Ramzi, and Azizos—were arrested and convicted on baseless charges such as “deliberately committing obscenity” and “publishing content that violates public morals.” By October 31, 2024, they had been sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five years. 

While their appeal on February 5, 2025, resulted in reduced sentences for some, the injustice persists. Instagram influencer Lady Samara, who boasts over a million followers, saw her initial sentence of three years and six months reduced to three months. Similarly, influencers Afifa and Ramzi had their sentences reduced from 18 months and three years and six months, respectively, to three months. Although they were released after spending over three months in detention, gender non-conforming TikTok influencer Khubayb remains behind bars under Article 234 of the Penal Code, serving a reduced sentence of two years in prison and a 1,000-Tunisaian dinar fine—simply for creating and sharing social media content.

Human rights defenders are also under siege. LGBTIQ+ and civil society activists, including Seif Ayadi, Asala Madoukhi, and Mira Ben Saleh, face relentless legal harassment and interrogation. Mira Ben Saleh, a trans activist and coordinator of DAMJ, the Tunisian Association for Justice and Equality office in Sfax, has been repeatedly targeted for her human rights activisim and work on equality and inclusin of LGBTIQ+ community in Tunisia. Despite filing complaints against police harassment, authorities have ignored her pleas, exposing the state’s deep-rooted persecution of LGBTIQ+ individuals and activists. Between September and January 2024, at least 84 people were arrested in the cities of Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse, and Kef, most of them gay men and transgender women, who were arbitrarily detained and unjustly persecuted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Criminalizing online expression—particularly targeting LGBTIQ+ communities, civil society, and social media influencers—is a blatant attack on freedom of speech. This egregious repression violates international standards, including Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Tunisia is bound. We also stress the contradiction of such actions with the Tunisian Constitution of 2022, which stipulates in Article 37 that freedoms of opinion, thought, expression, information, and publication shall be protected.

This wave of repression marks a disturbing return to the dark days of state control over speech, reminiscent of the Ben Ali regime’s authoritarian grip on online expression. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right, and Tunisia’s authoritarian crackdown on digital spaces is a direct attack on democracy.

Skyline for Human Rights demands that Tunisian authorities:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release all individuals imprisoned for exercising their right to free expression online.
2. End the arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and legal persecution of LGBTIQ+ individuals and activists, which threaten civic space and suppress grassroots activism.
3. Repeal vague and repressive laws that criminalize free expression, including Article 234 of the Penal Code, and ensure all legislation aligns with international human rights standards.
4. Upholds its constitutional guarantees and international obligations under the ICCPR  and other treaties by protecting freedom of expression and fundamental human rights.