Press Freedom Under Pressure: Tunisia’s courts keep tightening the screws on journalists: the Sfax Court of Appeal sentenced satirical journalist Haythem El Mekki to one year in prison, using Telecommunications Code Article 86 after posts about failings at Habib Bourguiba University Hospital; and in the same crackdown wave, Zied El Heni’s one-year sentence was upheld earlier this summer. Political Intimidation: International condemnation followed death threats against Tunisian Workers’ Party Secretary-General Hamma Hammami after a video circulated calling for his assassination, with the party saying authorities have taken no action. Civic Space & Transitional Justice: A new conviction of Sihem Bensedrine is denounced as a blow to Tunisia’s transitional justice process, raising fears of a chilling effect on victims and human rights work. Rule of Law & Lawyers: Lawyers staged a major nationwide strike demanding judicial independence and the release of detained colleagues, as civil society faces mounting pressure. Energy Crisis: Tunisia’s rolling power cuts are linked to deaths from oxygen-machine failures during outages, spotlighting deeper grid underinvestment and policy choices.