Judicial Crackdown: Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki, a critic of President Kais Saied, was sentenced to one year in prison under Decree 54 for social media posts, with the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists warning of intimidation and self-censorship. Political Prisoners: Rached Ghannouchi, Ennahda’s leader and former parliament speaker, received additional jail time in a case tied to his 2016 Gandhi Peace and Tolerance Prize donation to the Tunisian Red Crescent, as rights groups and international figures renew calls for his release. Political Violence Allegations: The Workers’ Party accused a Saied supporter of posting a video calling for the assassination of its secretary-general Hamma Hammami, saying authorities failed to act. EU–Tunisia Migration Deal: A coalition of rights and humanitarian groups urged the EU to publicly denounce human rights violations in Tunisia and stop funding abusive migration control, citing torture, sexual violence and forced returns linked to the 2023 EU–Tunisia memorandum. UN Mediation: UNSMIL said Libya’s 4+4 mini-committee adopted a new mechanism to reach consensus on a candidate to lead the High National Elections Commission, with further talks set for early August. Governance & Economy: Tunisia ranked 110th of 135 in the 2026 Global Index on Responsible AI, pointing to weak safeguards and limited responsible AI practices despite some enabling conditions. State–Banking Pressure: Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri pressed Tunisia’s banking sector to focus on investment financing beyond profit, following delivery of the Central Bank’s 2025 annual report.