Prominent Tunisian lawyer and former judge Ahmed Souab has been released from prison after completing a 10-month sentence imposed by an anti-terror court, a case that has become emblematic of mounting concerns over civil liberties in Tunisia.

Souab, 69, left the prison in Tebourba, around 30 kilometres west of Tunis, where relatives and supporters gathered to greet him. He declined to speak to reporters, responding instead with a silent V-sign, a gesture widely read as a signal of defiance and resilience.

His release follows an appeal that reduced his original five-year sentence to 10 months. Souab was arrested after publicly condemning a sweeping mass trial of opponents and critics of President Kais Saied, a proceeding in which he had served on the defence team.

Authorities accused him of placing undue pressure on the judiciary after he alleged that judges were being coerced into issuing harsh sentences. In a pointed remark that later formed part of the case against him, Souab said the authorities had effectively put “a knife to the throat of the judge who was to deliver the verdict.”

Prosecutors charged him under Decree 54, a law introduced by Saied to combat what the government calls “false news.” Rights organisations, Tunisian bar associations and international observers argue that the decree has been used to stifle dissent, criminalise criticism and intimidate journalists, lawyers and activists.

Because Souab accompanied his remarks with a hand gesture mimicking a knife to the throat, his case was transferred to an anti-terror court, an escalation that legal experts and human rights advocates have denounced as disproportionate and politically motivated.

His October conviction followed a hearing that lawyers say lasted less than two minutes, fuelling accusations of a show trial. The court rejected a request for provisional release despite medical reports citing a previous heart attack and warning that prison conditions could endanger his health.

UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor has described the charges against Souab as baseless, warning that his prosecution sends a chilling message to those who challenge the authorities.

Since President Saied’s power grab, when he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, Tunisian and international rights groups have documented a sharp erosion of judicial independence and freedom of expression. For many of Souab’s supporters, his case illustrates how anti-terror and “false news” provisions are being deployed against peaceful critics rather than genuine security threats.