Press Freedom Under Pressure: Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki, a critic of President Kais Saied, was sentenced to one year in prison over social media posts, with rights groups warning of a climate of intimidation and self-censorship. EU Migration Deal Scrutiny: 46 human rights and humanitarian organizations urged the EU to stop funding Tunisia’s migration control after the 2023 EU-Tunisia MoU was linked to torture, sexual violence and deadly abuses, arguing the EU is becoming complicit. Opposition Under Threat: Tunisia’s Workers’ Party accused a Saied supporter of publicly calling for the assassination of its leader Hamma Hammami, alleging authorities fail to act against such content while prosecuting critics. Ghannouchi Sentencing Update: Opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi received an additional three-year prison sentence tied to his 2016 donation of the Gandhi Peace Prize money to the Tunisian Red Crescent, adding to multiple ongoing cases. Judicial Roadmap Talks (Regional): UNSMIL said Libya’s 4+4 committee adopted a new mechanism to reach consensus on a candidate to lead the High National Elections Commission, with further work scheduled for early August. AI Governance Watch: Tunisia ranked 110th out of 135 in the 2026 Global Index on Responsible AI, citing weak safeguards and limited progress in turning governance foundations into real protections.