Tunisia woman gets 6 months in jail for Covid-Q'uran social media post

A young Tunisian woman was sentenced to six months in jail by a Tunis court on Tuesday over a parody posted on Facebook linking the Q'uran and Covid-19.

Emna Charki, 27, was found guilty of offending religion and "incitement to hatred" in a 4 May satirical post entitled "the Corona Surah", mimicking the Q'uran in reference to the illness.

"There's no difference between kings and slaves, follow science and ignore traditions," a passage reads.

Charki, who is not in custody, has three weeks to appeal.

Amnesty International has criticised her trial, saying the post was "a humorous text that imitates the verses of Q'uran to make fun of the Covid-19 situation".

It was "void of any incitement to hatred or violence," Amnesty said. The post was "intended to be funny and it even includes a call for staying home and washing hands."

The novel coronavirus has claimed 50 lives and infected more than 1 300 people in Tunisia.