Potential presidential contender Abir Moussi has been condemned to two years in prison, therefore severely undermining Tunisia’s opposition movement. For those opposing President Kais Saied as he searches for a new term, this development signifies yet another setback.
Alleging lack of openness, 49-year-old lawyer Abir Moussi, head of the right-wing Free Destourian Party, was jailed in October after publicly denouncing the electoral process and the presidential decrees directing it. Moussi was found guilty of breaching a divisive anti-fake news rule after the election administration of the North African country complained. Widely applied to punish critics of the government, this edict forbids disseminating material that slights or damages people.
Notwithstanding the sentence, Moussi’s lawyer, Nafaa Laribi, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she still plans to run in the October 6 presidential contest. Laribi underlined that unlike other candidates, nothing in Monday’s judgment stops her from competing. He further pointed out that Moussi intends to appeal the ruling and that his morals are still strong.
Regardless of political background, many analysts have claimed that this sentencing is part of a mounting crackdown driven politically against Saied’s detractors. Saied is expected to have minimal competition in what was previously regarded as the most progressive democracy in the Middle East and North Africa with Moussi and other prominent opposition leaders in prison.
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Moussi attracts groups of people yearning for Tunisia’s pre-revolutionary past. Moussi was an official in the ruling party of long-time President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a staunch critic of Islamist like imprisoned Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi. She has evolved over years into one of the most divisive and well-known political personalities in the nation.
Moussi’s sentence emphasizes the difficulties Tunisia’s opposition faces in a fast changing political context. Concerns regarding the future of democracy in Tunisia are raised as President Saied is consolidating authority since the area for opposition seems to be shrinking.
