Tunisian Court Refers 18 Accused to Trial for Digital Content and Sex Trafficking Charges

The Investigative Chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal has referred 18 accused individuals, including content creators on social media platforms TikTok and Instagram, to the Criminal Chamber of the First Instance Tribunal in Tunis for trial. The accused face charges related to the production, dissemination, and exploitation of digital content, as well as sex trafficking and financial exploitation.

Charges Against the Accused

The accused are charged with:

• Producing, exposing, making available, downloading, and intentionally sending videos and images
• Possessing computer data containing pornographic content featuring children and adults
• Intentionally using computer systems to disseminate and propagate images and video sequences of violence against others
• Human trafficking
• Joining or participating in a criminal group within or outside the territory of the Republic to recruit individuals by force, threat, or coercion for exploitation purposes
• Money laundering, in accordance with Articles 2, 8, and 10 of Law No. 61 of 2015, Article 26 of Decree No. 54 of 2022, and Articles 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, and 97 of Organic Law No. 26 of 2015 dated August 7, 2015.

Trial Date Set for June

The trial is scheduled to begin in June next year.