A new trial involving nearly two dozen Tunisian opposition figures began on Tuesday, just weeks after a similar mass trial resulted in the imprisonment of nearly 40 defendants on related charges.
This latest case, dubbed the “conspiracy against state security II,” includes 22 defendants.
Among them are 83-year-old Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, who is already incarcerated in a separate case.
Former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and Nadia Akacha, who previously headed the presidential office, are also listed as defendants in court documents.
The charges against them include terror-related offenses, incitement to murder, and “plotting against state internal security.”
According to lawyer Samir Dilou, most of the defendants are being tried in absentia, having left the country.
Ghannouchi was previously sentenced in early February to 22 years in prison for a separate case involving similar charges of plotting against state security.
He served as the speaker of parliament before President Kais Saied’s 2021 power grab.
In that earlier case, Ghannouchi and other Ennahdha officials were accused of establishing a “secret security apparatus” for the party, which had been a dominant force in Tunisian politics after the 2011 revolution.
Following the ouster of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia had been recognized as the Arab world’s sole democracy, emerging from the Arab Spring uprisings.
Tuesday’s court hearing was conducted remotely, with only four defendants participating virtually, according to lawyers present.