Mehrez Ghannouchi's call for public executions sparks debate in Tunisia

Ghannouchi, who has thousands of followers on Facebook, stated that such an execution should serve as a lesson to criminals. His post garnered thousands of positive reactions and approving comments. While Tunisia retains the death penalty in its penal code, no executions have been carried out since 1991, with the country observing a de facto moratorium for over three decades.

However, recent high-profile cases have reignited calls for the resumption of executions. The article highlights the significant difference between supporting capital punishment and advocating for public executions as a spectacle, a practice historically associated with authoritarian regimes. It notes that Ghannouchi's influence, stemming from his credibility in meteorology, amplifies such radical statements.

This is not his first controversial remark, as he previously described Hurricane Milton as a "divine punishment." The author argues that social media platforms amplify immediate emotions like anger and the desire for punishment, turning calls for public, filmed hangings into content that generates approval and visibility, despite justice not being intended to organize spectacles of death.