BeirutTunisia’s Decree-Law 54 anchors a digital crackdown, SMEX finds.

SMEX says vague laws let governments decide retrospectively what online speech counts as a crime.

Smear campaigns often precede arrests and raids in all three countries, SMEX says, based on 20 interviews and a review of laws.

Egypt runs the region’s most centralised model, while Iraq’s divided authority leaves some room but little safety.

The report feeds a SMEX-led initiative to draft a regional digital rights strategy for civil society.

How each outlet framed it
SMEX leans critical
frames digital authoritarianism as layered control across telecoms, vague laws and financial probes in Egypt, Iraq and Tunisia

Sources: SMEX