Tunisian President Kais Saied has signed an order granting a special presidential pardon to more than 1,700 people detained over social media posts critical of the government.
About 233 out of 1,727 detainees have been released, a statement from the presidency said on Thursday, adding that the rest have had their sentences reduced, without providing any further details.
The Tunisian presidency said only those “sentenced not on the basis of the posts that were published but on the basis of other crimes” were excluded from the pardon.
The statement added that the directive was issued based on Article 99 of the constitution which stipulates dropping the punishment of those detained for crimes related to publishing social media posts.
The order coincided with the 67th anniversary of Tunisia's independence and comes ahead of presidential elections on October 6 in which Mr Saied will be running again.
In September 2022, the president issued Decree Law 54 to combat cybercrime, but it has been used to penalise those sharing social media posts critical of his government.
Journalists and human rights organisations have raised concerns about the decree's potential effect on freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
Thursday also marks the third year since Mr Saied introduced what he called “exceptional measures” dissolving the Tunisian parliament and high judicial council, consolidating all branches of authority under his rule.
A continuous state of emergency has been in place in the country since 2015 following a terrorist attack by ISIS on a presidential guards’ bus that killed 12 of its members and injured 16 others, including civilians.
The legal measure enables authorities to do whatever is considered necessary to protect the country from “imminent danger”.
Critics and the opposition say credible elections cannot be held in Tunisia unless imprisoned politicians are released as most of them are Mr Saied's opponents.
About 50 people, including opposition leaders and families of political detainees, held a protest on Thursday in the downtown area of the capital, Tunis, calling for the release of imprisoned politicians.
Protesters shouted slogans such as “Down with the shameful Decree 54”, “No fear, no terror, power belongs to the people,” and “Freedom, freedom, the judiciary is following orders”.
“Today, we want this fear to be lifted for families of all the political detainees without any exception. We will continue and we will not give up until the end of this injustice,” said Feiza Chebbi, wife of detained politician and lawyer Issam Chebbi, who is also the secretary general of the opposition Al Jomhouri party, in a speech at the demonstration.
On the sidelines of the gathering, Mohamed Hamdi, a former education minister and ex-MP in Tunisia's post-2011 uprising National Assembly, denounced “the setback to the political situation” in the country.
“We are going through a major setback that coincides with the independence anniversary and which unfortunately also marks almost three years since Kais Saied’s coup,” Mr Hamdi told The National.
“He has been persistent in his policy of bulldozing political life, confiscating public space, and attacking general and individual freedoms.”
Dozens of Mr Saied's critics have been placed under pre-trial detention or house arrest, with others banned from travelling – sometimes without being charged – due to the continuing state of emergency.
Judges have also sentenced some critics to prison terms ranging from six months to five years.
Among them are Ennahda opposition party leaders Rached Ghannouchi and Rafik Abdessalem – the latter currently on the run abroad – who were sentenced to three years in prison in February.
Mr Abdessalem, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2011 and 2013, had previously been sentenced to five years in prison following a Facebook post he wrote in February 2023.
In May, prominent Tunisian journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies were each sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted over critical statements they made on the radio and in social media posts.
Al Jomhouri party spokesman Wissem Sghaier told The National that this approach by the government “can only deepen the crisis in the country”, especially during an electoral period “in which it would have been better to establish a climate of freedom and rivalry to choose someone to represent the Tunisian people”.
Like many of the protesters, Mr Sghaier remains hopeful that the current status quo will eventually change, despite all the challenges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
Company%20Profile
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Company%20profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent