Arabic version: الحكم على مدوّنة تونسية بالسجن 26 شهراً

According to Allafrica, Tunisian blogger and political activist Hajer Awadi has been sentenced to 26 months in prison over a social media post concerning a security operation. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Tunisian authorities to release Awadi immediately and overturn the conviction.

On September 30, the misdemeanor chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance handed Awadi eight months for “praising and glorifying terrorism,” one year for “inciting hatred,” and six months for “making threats,” according to news reports. Her lawyer, Samir Ben Amor, told CPJ that he has appealed the sentence.

Awadi was arrested at her home in Tunis on January 23 over a Facebook Live video about a recent security operation in central-west Tunisia. In the video, which has since been removed, she discussed a raid in Majel Bel Abbes in which authorities said they had killed four suspected terrorists. Awadi reports on corruption and human rights to about 15,000 Facebook followers.

On January 29, the Judicial Counter-Terrorism Pole ordered her detention and transfer to Manouba Women’s Prison, west of Tunis, where she remains held. CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah said the sentence was another example of authorities using the criminal justice system to punish critical expression, and urged officials to stop imprisoning journalists and bloggers for their work. CPJ said it emailed the Tunisian presidency for comment but received no response.

Awadi was previously arrested in April 2020 after posting a Facebook video alleging government corruption, poor distribution of basic food supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and police mistreatment. Ben Amor told CPJ that she was released eight days later after receiving a 75-day suspended prison sentence.