News Center- On Wednesday, the Tunis Military Court of First Instance issued a one-year suspended prison sentence against Tunisian opposition leader Chaima Issa on charges of “insulting the president” and “inciting soldiers to disobey orders”.

Rights groups condemned the prison sentence against Chaima Issa, saying that the military court does not have the authority to try opponents. Rights groups say that Tunisian authorities have increasingly resorted to military trials as a means to prosecute and silence critics and opponents.

“Tunisia was a beacon of freedom, but today it has become a large prison where free opinion is besieged,” Chaima Issa said before her appearance in court.

Chaima Issa was arrested onFebruary 22, 2023 on charges of “conspiring against state security”. On July 13, 2023, she was provisionally released after four months of arbitrary detention.