Tunisia: Blogger Hajer Awadi sentenced to 26 months in prison for a Facebook live stream

Tunisian blogger Hajer Awadi was sentenced to a total of 26 months in prison by the correctional chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance on September 30, 2026, for a video broadcast live on Facebook. The information was made public by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which is calling for her immediate release and the overturning of the conviction.

Three sentences for a single video

The court handed down eight months in prison for "apology for terrorism," one year for "incitement to hatred," and six months for "threats," the CPJ details. Her lawyer, Samir Ben Amor, has appealed the decision, meaning the conviction is not yet final.

Detained since January at Manouba prison

An activist followed by approximately 15,000 people on Facebook, Hajer Awadi covers corruption and human rights. She was arrested at her home in Tunis on January 23, 2026, following a live stream dedicated to a security operation in the center-west of the country: in it, she discussed a raid in Majel Bel Abbes, where authorities claim to have killed four terrorism suspects. The video has since been removed. On January 29, 2026, the judicial counter-terrorism pole ordered her detention and transfer to the Manouba women's prison, west of Tunis, where she remains after more than eight months of incarceration.

This is not the first time

In April 2020, she had already been arrested after a video denouncing corruption, the poor distribution of food supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, and police mistreatment. She was released eight days later with a 75-day suspended prison sentence, according to her lawyer.

For the CPJ's regional director, Sara Qudah, the Tunisian authorities are "using the criminal justice system to punish critical expression." The organization indicates that it has reached out to the Tunisian presidency without receiving a response.

The case raises a question that extends far beyond Tunisia: to what extent can counter-terrorism legislation be used to classify a Facebook live stream as an apology for terrorism? The presumption of innocence applies to Hajer Awadi as it does to anyone being prosecuted, and the appeal is ongoing. But the established fact remains: a woman who spoke about corruption and human rights has been in prison since January, and the space left for African citizens to criticize their leaders is closing a little more.