EXPLAINER
Tunisia softens its ‘false news’ penalty. What really changed, and why now?
Fines replace jail terms for first-time ‘false news’ offences under a decree rights groups say is still repressive.
![A Tunisian woman holds photos of four detained Sumud Flotilla members during a demonstration in their support in Tunis [MOHAMED MESSARA/EPA]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/epa_6ab420313d03-1790189617.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Supporters of detained pro-Palestinian activists protest to demand their release in Tunis, Tunisia. [September 19: Stringer/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/reuters_6ab4211b-1790189851.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Tunisian protesters march in central Tunis calling for the release of four Global Sumud Flotilla activists detained in a financial investigation, September 19, 2026 [Ghaya Ben Mbarek/Global News Insight]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_6182-1789877256.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla gather at the Tunisian port of Bizerte, ahead of the scheduled departure to the Gaza Strip to break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian territory on September 13, 2025 [AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/afp_68c55426c388-1757762598.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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Tunisia arrests journalist Mohamed Yousfi amid crackdown on critics
Tunisia faces criticism as prosecutions of journalists continue under President Kais Saied’s rule.
Tunisia’s top court upholds conviction of opposition figures, activists
Critics claim Tunisia’s judiciary acts under political pressure, as opposition leaders face lengthy prison terms.
Kais Saied’s economic experiment has failed Tunisia
Saied’s promised path to self-reliance has deepened Tunisia’s economic crisis rather than resolving it.
Brazilian activist demands Tunisia release Sumud Flotilla organisers
Activists say four organisers of flotilla that sought to break Gaza blockade have been held in Tunisia since March.
Tunisia’s civil society faces growing pressure as crackdown widens
Arrests, prosecutions and suspensions are putting growing pressure on Tunisia’s civil society, Human Rights Watch says.
![Tunisians protest against rising prices, declining purchasing power and shortages of basic goods in Tunis [Ons Abid/AP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ap_6a958dc596954-1788186053.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
EXPLAINER
How prices in Tunisia have skyrocketed since the Arab Spring
Global News Insight tracked the cost of common food items and compared them with pre-revolution prices in 2010.
Five years after Saied’s power grab, Tunisia’s old grievances resurface
Economic grievances persist while space for dissent has narrowed under President Kais Saied.
![Demonstrators march in Tunis during a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied on August 20, 2026 [AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/afp_6a8792bd00d4-1787269821.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
From: NewsFeed
Tunisia protests: Water, power cuts and rising anger
Tunisia protests: Water, power cuts and rising anger
Published On 31 Aug 2026
Tunisia swelters as power cuts disrupt water supplies
Near 50C temperatures are driving record electricity demand, disrupting water supplies and straining health services.
![People cool off by a fountain at the entrance to the Medina in Tunis on August 24, 2026, as Tunisia faced a heatwave with temperatures exceeding 48°C amid daily water and electricity cuts [Fethi Belaid/AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260824__C6EG8F8__v1__HighRes__TunisiaWeatherClimateHeatwave-1788079286.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
From: NewsFeed
Tunisians desperate for water as taps run dry
Tunisians are struggling to access water as extreme heat, power cuts, and aging infrastructure disrupt tap supplies.
Published On 29 Aug 2026
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