A Tunisian court has sentenced opposition leaders, businessmen, and lawyers to prison terms ranging from 13 to 66 years on charges of conspiring against state security, according to state news agency TAP. The sentences were handed down on Saturday, and details on the specific charges remain limited.
The opposition has denounced the trial, calling the charges fabricated and describing it as a symbol of President Kais Saied’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Human rights groups have long criticized Saied’s grip over the judiciary, which tightened after he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. In 2022, he also dismantled the independent Supreme Judicial Council.
The trial involved 40 individuals, including prominent political figures, businessmen, and journalists. Over 20 of the accused have fled the country since the charges were filed. Several opposition leaders, such as Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chebbi, Jawahar Ben Mbrak, Abdelhamid Jlassi, Ridha Belhaj, and Khyam Turki, have been in detention since their arrests in 2023.
Ahead of the verdict, lawyer Ahmed Souab, who represents the defendants, condemned the trial, calling it a “farce” and “scandalous.” He added, “In my entire life, I have never witnessed a trial like this. The rulings were predetermined.”
The accused, including former officials and former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani, are alleged to have plotted to destabilize the government and overthrow President Saied. Authorities claim the group sought to create political unrest.
Hamma Hammami, leader of the opposition Workers’ Party, characterized the sentencing as indicative of an authoritarian regime that offers only repression, not solutions to Tunisia’s problems.
Saied has rejected claims of dictatorship, asserting that his actions are necessary to combat chaos and corruption within the political elite.