Tunisia sentences lawmaker to prison

A Tunisian court yesterday sentenced parliamentarian Yassine Ayari in absentia to four months in prison for “offending others on social media”.

The case against Ayari rested on a complaint filed by the Tunisian Democratic Current party, which said that he had criticised its leaders.

The court ruling comes nearly a month after a 10-month prison sentence for Ayari, again in absentia, for “harming the morale of the national army, and committing a despicable act against the Tunisian president.” His lawyer, Mukhtar Al-Jama’i, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that all the complaints against his client were related to “his parliamentary work, not personal issues with any party.”

Ayari is a representative of the Amal wa A’amal movement. He lives in France.

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