Dozens of opponents in Tunisia have been sentenced to prison. Their sentences are between 13 and 66 years on charges of violating national security. TAP state news agency – Tunis Afrique Presse – reported Sunday on a very controversial situation. They have dubbed it the “conspiracy case.” This case, which had stretched nearly two years before a trial date was set, is part of an intensifying government crackdown on dissent in the country.
An unnamed official with France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office made the announcement of convictions. The charges against the defendants included “conspiracy against state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group.” Most of the defendants, including well-known opposition leaders, were sentenced in absentia despite their absence from the hearings. They fled the country to avoid prosecution. Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha party, has been sentenced in absentia to four years in prison for charges including incitement. He was arrested in April 2023 and has remained in custody since.
Defence lawyer Ahmed Souab described the judicial proceedings as a “mockery” of justice. He called the decisions preordained and the whole process “an especially scandalous and shameful state of affairs.”
“In my entire life, I have never witnessed a trial like this. It’s a farce, the rulings are ready, and what is happening is scandalous and shameful,” – Ahmed Souab
The government is accused of weaponizing judicial actions. Critics argue that the maneuver quashes political dissent and solidifies one-man rule. Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, expressed concern, stating that “the authorities want to criminalise the opposition.”
Indeed, extended President Kais Saied has denied accusations that he is a dictator. In doing so, he contends that the lawsuits filed against opponents and oppositional voices are vital to upholding national security. Opponents claim it’s really about a much bigger plan to erode dissent and stack the deck.
The case has captured the imagination of the world. It especially lays into French intellectual, Bernard-Henri Levy, an alleged chaperone between movement defendants and foreign powers. This prong of their case has led to the most outcry over potential foreign interference and the legitimacy of the charges.
Issam Chebbi, a senior legislator of the National Salvation Front coalition, is now behind bars. Since his detainment occurred in 2023, we have the opportunity to influence this case. His arrest has been heavily criticized fairly portraying it as yet another step in the ongoing campaign by Saied’s regime to silence political opposition.
