A Tunisian court on Tuesday sentenced several prominent opposition figures to prison terms ranging from 12 to 35 years for allegedly plotting against state security.
Among those convicted was Rached Ghannouchi, the jailed leader of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, who received a 14-year sentence. Ghannouchi, a central figure in post-revolution politics, refused to attend his trial.
Roughly 20 individuals were prosecuted, including Nadia Akacha, former chief of staff to President Kais Saied, and Rafik Abdessalem, Ghannouchi’s son-in-law and ex-foreign minister. Both were sentenced in absentia to 35 years in prison.
The defendants were accused of conspiring against internal state security and forming a covert organisation linked to terrorist activities. Authorities allege they created a “secret security apparatus” to serve party interests.
Ghannouchi, who was parliamentary speaker during President Saied’s 2021 power grab, had already been sentenced to 22 years in a separate case in February. That move followed a broader crackdown that critics have labelled politically motivated.
In April, another mass trial imposed sentences of up to 66 years on opposition figures, echoing the same conspiracy charges. These cases reflect a deepening purge against dissenting voices in Tunisia.
President Saied’s assumption of full executive authority in July 2021 has drawn condemnation from rights groups, who say democratic gains from the 2011 revolution are rapidly eroding.
Dozens of journalists, lawyers, and bloggers have been arrested under a sweeping “fake news” law, which activists say is being weaponised to silence criticism and dismantle the country’s once-vibrant civil space.
The birthplace of the Arab Spring now finds itself navigating a troubling descent into authoritarianism.