Moncef El-Houaidi, a father of three and a street vendor by trade, is an environmental activist who led the sit-in in the El-Houaidiya area of Jendouba Governorate to demand the right to water.

On 30 August 2024, Moncef El-Houaidi was arrested by officers from the Research and Investigation Unit of the National Guard in Tabarka, Jendouba Governorate, on the basis of outstanding search warrants in public-order cases, according to his lawyer. However, during his interrogation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office independently opened an investigation into posts he had published on his personal Facebook page.

On 2 September 2024, El-Houaidi was referred to an investigating judge and charged in connection with his online publications under Decree No. 54 and Article 67 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes “acts considered offensive to the President of the Republic.”

At his request, a lawyer was appointed to attend the interrogation, but she later withdrew from the case. On the day of the hearing, El-Houaidi was informed of her absence and agreed to proceed without legal representation.

During questioning, he was confronted with a number of Facebook posts attributed to him, including one reading, “Down with the Decree and its author,” and another stating, “A correction of course and a revolutionary explosion — little did we know it was the explosion of the sewage system.” According to his defense team, El-Houaidi explained that these posts were expressions of his opinion on public affairs.

After spending one year in pre-trial detention, the Criminal Chamber of the Jendouba Court of First Instance issued its verdict on 6 October 2025, convicting Moncef El-Houaidi on the same day he was brought before the court. He was prosecuted under Article 67 of the Penal Code and Article 24 of Decree No. 54.

The court, ruling in the first instance and in his presence, sentenced him to two years in prison and a fine of one thousand dinars, in addition to court costs. The judgment cited the offense of “using information systems to disseminate false news and attribute untrue statements to others with the intent to defame and cause moral harm.” The court dismissed all remaining charges.