Tunisia's military court sentences lawmaker on charges of insulting president

Tunisian presidential candidate Kais Saied and his wife Ichraf Chebil react after exit poll results were announced in a second round runoff of the presidential election in Tunis, Tunisia October 13, 2019. [Reuters]

A member of Tunisia's suspended parliament, Yassin Ayari, told Reuters that a military court on Friday sentenced him in absentia to 10 months in prison on charges of insulting the president and the army after he described the president's move to freeze parliament as a military coup.

President Kais Saied suspended the Parliament on July 25, dismissed the government and seized control of most authorities, drawing widespread criticism at home and abroad.