Tunisia president loses lawsuit against citizen

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has lost a lawsuit he filed against a Tunisian citizen in 2014, in which he accused the citizen of inciting against him and his family on social media.

According to Tunisian media, the Tunisian judiciary ordered Essebsi to pay fine of litigation after losing the case against Imad Deghij, who was known as the Head of the League for Protecting the Revolution.

Initially, Essebsi presented the case to the Public Prosecution at the Trial Court in Tunisian capital Tunis, claiming that Deghij had posted videos and comments on social media that incited against him and were considered a threat to Essebsi and his family members.

The Trial Court was convinced of the claims and, in 2017, sentenced Deghij to three months in prison and a fine, but he was given an opportunity to appeal against the sentence.

Last week, the Court of Appeal in Tunis acquitted the defendant, fined Essebsi and ordered him to pay the litigation charges.

The verdict was widely hailed in the country and many Tunisians called it an outcome of the Tunisian revolution in 2011, which is considered to have triggered the Arab Spring.

READ: Essebsi faces lawsuit for ‘exceeding powers’ in Tunisia