Latest news with #BenMbarek
Al Jazeera
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘A mockery': Mass trial begins in Tunisia of political opponents
The collective trial of around 40 opposition figures has gotten under way in Tunis, with rights groups claiming the crackdown on voices critical of Tunisian President Kais Saied to be politically motivated. Many of the defendants, who stand charged with offences ranging from 'plotting against the state security' to 'belonging to a terrorist group' are notable critics of the president, including politicians, former diplomats, lawyers and high-profile media figures The families of the accused were reported to have crowded the trial chamber of the Court of First Instance in the Tunisian capital on Tuesday, chanting 'freedom', and accusing the judiciary of acting upon government orders. 'We are facing the biggest judicial scandals,' said Bassam Trifi, the head of the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights. 'It is one of the darkest injustices in Tunisia's history.' Charges of rolling back the democratic gains of the country's revolution of 2011 have dogged Saied since his dramatic power grab of July 2021, when he shuttered Parliament and dismissed its speaker and prime minister, introducing a period of presidential rule by decree. Many of those currently on trial were prominent critics of that process, such as Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, who led both the National Salvation Front and the Citizens Against the Coup group – both formed in protest at Saied's suspension of Parliament. Ben Mbarek was arrested in a series of raids upon Saied's critics in February of 2023. Others on trial include former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha, former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani, and the former leader of opposition party Ennahda, Abdelhamid Jelassi, who, like Ben Mbarek, was arrested in 2023. Ben Mbarak, Jelassi and four other defendants – politicians Khayam Turki, Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi and lawyer Ridha Belhaj, all of whom have been held in pretrial detention – were barred from attending court, the International Commission of Jurists said, adding that the decision undermined a trial it termed 'grossly unfair'. Akacha and Guizani both live abroad. Human Rights Watch denounced the mass trial, calling it a 'mockery'. 'Tunisian authorities should immediately release all those arbitrarily detained for over the past two years in the so-called 'conspiracy' case on abusive charges of security and terrorism offences, and put an end to this mockery of a trial,' said Bassam Khawaja, Human Rights Watch's deputy Middle East and North Africa director. The move is just the latest crackdown against Saied's political opponents. Rached Ghannouchi, the 83-year-old leader of the 'Muslim Democrat' Ennahda Party, who also served as the speaker of Parliament, has been sentenced to a total of more than 26 years in prison following separate trials, after having first been arrested in April 2023. And on the opposite end of the political spectrum, Abir Moussi, the leader of the secular Free Constitutional Party, has also been in prison since 2023. Despite assurances from Saied as recently as Sunday that he had never interfered with the judiciary, the president has been widely accused of the opposite. Tunisian and international human rights groups have previously denounced Saied's weakening of the judiciary as a check on his power, including the dismissal of judges and dissolution of a body that guaranteed the judiciary's independence in 2023. Tunisia's courts also played a critical role in removing nearly all of Saied's rivals from the running in last year's presidential election, jailing several of his rivals on what critics have described as spurious charges and barring them from running for election. Rights groups and international bodies continue to criticise Saied's actions. Amnesty International has called for an end to politically-motivated prosecutions, while the United Nations has also called for an end to the persecution of political opponents and activists. At the same time, Tunisia has warm relations with the European Union, centred on Tunis cracking down on migrant and refugee routes into Europe from North Africa.
Jordan Times
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Tunisia opponents to be tried on state security charges amid crackdown
Dalila Ben Mbarek, lawyer and member of the defence committee of detainees accused of involvement in a conspiracy case against state security, addresses a press conference in Tunis, on Thursday (AFP photo) TUNIS — A highly anticipated trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against state security is set to start Tuesday, with critics and rights groups denouncing it as unfair and politically motivated. The case has named around 40 high-profile defendants -- including former diplomats, politicians, lawyers and media figures -- some of whom have been outspoken critics of President Kais Saied. Many were detained following a flurry of arrests in February 2023, after Saied dubbed them "terrorists". The group faces charges of "plotting against the state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group", according to lawyers, which could entail hefty sentences. They include politician Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a former senior figure in the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party Abdelhamid Jelassi, and Issam Chebbi, a founder of the opposition National Salvation Front (FSN) coalition -- all staunch critics of Saied. Saied was elected in 2019 after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy following the Arab Spring. But in 2021, he staged a sweeping power grab, and human rights groups have since warned of a rollback on freedoms. 'Judicial madness' The long-awaited case has also charged activists Khayam Turki and Chaima Issa, businessman Kamel Eltaief, and Bochra Belhaj Hmida, a former member of parliament and human rights activist now living in France. French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy was also named among the accused, as a number of them are suspected of getting in contact with foreign parties and diplomats. Addressing the public in a letter from his cell, Ben Mbarek said the case aimed at "the methodical elimination of critical voices" and he denounced "judicial harassment". Ben Mbarek was one of the founders of the FSN, which remains the main opposition coalition to Saied. His sister Dalila Msaddek, a lawyer who is part of the defence committee, told AFP the charges were "based on false testimony". The defence committee has said that judicial authorities decided to hold the trial remotely, without the presence of the detained defendants. Their relatives and rights groups said the move was not fair, calling for all the defendants to stand before the judge. "It's one of the conditions for a fair trial," said Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the FSN and himself named in the case. Riadh Chaibi, a former Ennahdha official, said the case had "no reasoning". "This is a case where the witnesses are secret, the evidence is secret and they want the trial to be secret too," he told reporters in the capital Tunis. Also a member of Ennahdha, lawyer Samir Dilou called it "judicial madness". 'Arbitrary detentions' Ben Mbarek's father, leftist activist Ezzeddine Hazgui, told AFP he felt "bitter" about voting for Saied in 2019. His son, too, "had fought like a devil" to get Saied elected, according to Msaddek. She said while several people prosecuted in the case are in custody, some remain free pending trial and others have fled abroad. Other critics of Saied have been detained and charged in different cases, including under a law combatting "false news". In early February, Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi, 83, was sentenced to 22 years in prison -- also for plotting against state security, though in a separate case. The United Nations urged Tunisian authorities last month to bring "an end to the pattern of arrests, arbitrary detentions and imprisonment of dozens of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, activists and politicians". Tunisia's Foreign Ministry expressed "astonishment" over the UN's "inaccuracies and criticisms". It insisted the cases cited by the UN involved "public law crimes unrelated to political, party or media activities, or the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression". "Tunisia can give lessons to those who think they are in a position to make statements," it added.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tunisia opponents to be tried on state security charges amid crackdown
A highly anticipated trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against state security is set to start Tuesday, with critics and rights groups denouncing it as unfair and politically motivated. The case has named around 40 high-profile defendants -- including former diplomats, politicians, lawyers and media figures -- some of whom have been outspoken critics of President Kais Saied. Many were detained following a flurry of arrests in February 2023, after Saied dubbed them "terrorists". The group faces charges of "plotting against the state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group", according to lawyers, which could entail hefty sentences. They include politician Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a former senior figure in the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party Abdelhamid Jelassi, and Issam Chebbi, a founder of the opposition National Salvation Front (FSN) coalition -- all staunch critics of Saied. Saied was elected in 2019 after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy following the Arab Spring. But in 2021, he staged a sweeping power grab, and human rights groups have since warned of a rollback on freedoms. - 'Judicial madness' - The long-awaited case has also charged activists Khayam Turki and Chaima Issa, businessman Kamel Eltaief, and Bochra Belhaj Hmida, a former member of parliament and human rights activist now living in France. French intellectual Bernard-Henri Levy was also named among the accused, as a number of them are suspected of getting in contact with foreign parties and diplomats. Addressing the public in a letter from his cell, Ben Mbarek said the case aimed at "the methodical elimination of critical voices" and he denounced "judicial harassment". Ben Mbarek was one of the founders of the FSN, which remains the main opposition coalition to Saied. His sister Dalila Msaddek, a lawyer who is part of the defence committee, told AFP the charges were "based on false testimony". The defence committee has said that judicial authorities decided to hold the trial remotely, without the presence of the detained defendants. Their relatives and rights groups said the move was not fair, calling for all the defendants to stand before the judge. "It's one of the conditions for a fair trial," said Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the FSN and himself named in the case. Riadh Chaibi, a former Ennahdha official, said the case had "no reasoning". "This is a case where the witnesses are secret, the evidence is secret and they want the trial to be secret too," he told reporters in the capital Tunis. Also a member of Ennahdha, lawyer Samir Dilou called it "judicial madness". - 'Arbitrary detentions' - Ben Mbarek's father, leftist activist Ezzeddine Hazgui, told AFP he felt "bitter" about voting for Saied in 2019. His son, too, "had fought like a devil" to get Saied elected, according to Msaddek. She said while several people prosecuted in the case are in custody, some remain free pending trial and others have fled abroad. Other critics of Saied have been detained and charged in different cases, including under a law combatting "false news". In early February, Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi, 83, was sentenced to 22 years in prison -- also for plotting against state security, though in a separate case. The United Nations urged Tunisian authorities last month to bring "an end to the pattern of arrests, arbitrary detentions and imprisonment of dozens of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, activists and politicians". Tunisia's Foreign Ministry expressed "astonishment" over the UN's "inaccuracies and criticisms". It insisted the cases cited by the UN involved "public law crimes unrelated to political, party or media activities, or the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression". "Tunisia can give lessons to those who think they are in a position to make statements," it added. kl-bou-iba/ysm/sco
