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Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Tunisia puts more opposition figures on mass trial
A new trial of nearly two dozen Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against the state opened on Tuesday, weeks after a separate mass trial jailed nearly 40 defendants on similar charges. The latest trial — known as the "conspiracy against state security II" — involved 22 defendants, including 83-year-old Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party leader Rached Ghannouchi, currently jailed in another case. Youssef Chahed, a former prime minister, and Nadia Akacha, once the head of the presidential office, were also among the defendants, according to court documents. The defendants were accused of terror-related charges, incitement to murder, and "plotting against state internal security", among other charges, according to a court document. The majority of the defendants are being tried in absentia, having fled the country, lawyer Samir Dilou said. Ghannouchi was already sentenced in early February to 22 years in prison — also for plotting against state security in a different case. He had been the speaker of parliament when President Kais Saied staged a sweeping power grab in 2021. In this case, Ghannouchi as well as other Ennahdha officials stand accused of setting up a "secret security apparatus" in service of the party, which had dominated Tunisia's post-revolution politics. Tunisia had emerged as the Arab world's only democracy following the ouster of longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, after it kicked off the Arab Spring uprisings. Tuesday's hearing was conducted remotely with only four defendants attending virtually, according to lawyers. Last month's similar trial had drawn criticism from the United Nations, which said it was "marred by violations of fair trial and due process rights". But Saied dismissed the "comments and statements by foreign parties" as "blatant interference in Tunisia's internal affairs". In a statement on Monday, Tunisia's main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (FSN), called for "an end to sham and unfair trials", demanding "the release of all political prisoners".
Arab News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Lawyers denounce ‘fabricated' Tunisia trial of opposition
TUNIS: Lawyers and relatives on Monday denounced the hefty sentences handed down to Tunisian opposition figures in last week's mass trial as 'fabricated' and 'unfounded,' and said they will appeal. A court in Tunis in the early hours of Saturday handed down jail terms of up to 66 years to around 40 defendants, including vocal critics of President Kais Saied. They were accused of 'conspiracy against state security' and 'belonging to a terrorist group' among other charges, according to their lawyers. Defense lawyer Samir Dilou said on Monday the trial was 'unprecedented in Tunisia' as 'it handed the defendants a total of 892 years in prison.' He said key evidence in the case was still missing, as lawyers had complained that they did not have full access to the case file. 'They still haven't told us how the defendants conspired against the state,' Dilou told journalists. He said an appeal could be filed as early as Tuesday. Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people. Some have already been in prison for two years while others are in exile or still free. Several were arrested in February 2023, after which Saied labelled them 'terrorists.' Abdennasser Mehri, another defense lawyer, called the trial a 'blatant violation of the law.' 'It's a fabricated, unfounded case with a plan set in advance,' he said. 'The scales of justice are broken.' Dilou said Ahmed Souab, also a defense lawyer, was arrested early Monday after police raided his home. Local media said he was accused of 'threatening to commit terrorist crimes' in a statement made on Saturday after the trial, criticizing political pressure judges were allegedly under. Online videos showed Souab saying that 'knives are not on the necks of detainees, but on the neck of the judge issuing the ruling.' Souab, a former judge, is expected to remain in detention 'for five days and he won't be allowed to communicate with his lawyers for 48 hours,' Dilou told AFP. Human Rights Watch said on Saturday the court 'did not give even a semblance of a fair trial' to the defendants. Defense lawyer Dalila Msaddek said the trial was used 'to lump together everyone they wanted to get rid of.' Politicians Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, as well as lawyer Ridha BelHajj and activist Chaima Issa, were sentenced to 18 years behind bars. Activist Khayam Turki was handed a 48-year term and businessman Kamel Eltaief received the harshest penalty — 66 years in prison, according to lawyers. Some defendants are abroad and were tried in absentia, like French intellectual Bernard Henri-Levy who received a 33-year jail term, lawyers said. Since Saied launched a power grab in the summer of 2021 and assumed total control, rights advocates and opposition figures have decried a rollback of freedoms in the North African country where the 2011 Arab Spring began.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawyers denounce 'fabricated' Tunisia trial of opposition
Lawyers and relatives on Monday denounced the hefty sentences handed down to Tunisian opposition figures in last week's mass trial as "fabricated" and "unfounded", and said they will appeal. A court in Tunis in the early hours of Saturday handed down jail terms of up to 66 years to around 40 defendants, including vocal critics of President Kais Saied. They were accused of "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group" among other charges, according to their lawyers. Defence lawyer Samir Dilou said on Monday the trial was "unprecedented in Tunisia" as "it handed the defendants a total of 892 years in prison". He said key evidence in the case was still missing, as lawyers had complained that they did not have full access to the case file. "They still haven't told us how the defendants conspired against the state," Dilou told journalists. He said an appeal could be filed as early as Tuesday. Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people. Some have already been in prison for two years while others are in exile or still free. Several were arrested in February 2023, after which Saied labelled them "terrorists". Abdennasser Mehri, another defence lawyer, called the trial a "blatant violation of the law". "It's a fabricated, unfounded case with a plan set in advance," he said. "The scales of justice are broken." Dilou said Ahmed Souab, also a defence lawyer, was arrested early Monday after police raided his home. Local media said he was accused of "threatening to commit terrorist crimes" in a statement made on Saturday after the trial, criticising political pressure judges were allegedly under. Online videos showed Souab saying that "knives are not on the necks of detainees, but on the neck of the judge issuing the ruling". Souab, a former judge, is expected to remain in detention "for five days and he won't be allowed to communicate with his lawyers for 48 hours", Dilou told AFP. Human Rights Watch said on Saturday the court "did not give even a semblance of a fair trial" to the defendants. Defence lawyer Dalila Msaddek said the trial was used "to lump together everyone they wanted to get rid of". Politicians Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, as well as lawyer Ridha Belhaj and activist Chaima Issa, were sentenced to 18 years behind bars. Activist Khayam Turki was handed a 48-year term and businessman Kamel Eltaief received the harshest penalty -- 66 years in prison, according to lawyers. Some defendants are abroad and were tried in absentia, like French intellectual Bernard Henri-Levy who received a 33-year jail term, lawyers said. Since Saied launched a power grab in the summer of 2021 and assumed total control, rights advocates and opposition figures have decried a rollback of freedoms in the North African country where the 2011 Arab Spring began. bou/srm/ami
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Tunisian courts hands prison sentences of up to 66 years in mass trial of regime opponents
A Tunisian court has handed down prison sentences of 13 to 66 years to politicians, businessmen and lawyers in a mass trial that opponents say is fabricated and a symbol of president Kais Saied's authoritarian rule. Businessman Kamel Ltaif received the longest sentence of 66 years on Saturday, while opposition politician Khayam Turki was given a 48-year jail term, a lawyer for the defendants said. The court also sentenced prominent opposition figures, including Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chebbi, Jawahar Ben Mbarek and Ridha Belhaj, to 18 years in prison. They have been in custody since 2023. Forty people were being prosecuted in the trial that started in March. More than 20 have fled abroad since being charged. Saied secured a second five-year term in 2024 with 90.7% of the vote after coming to power in 2019. Rights groups say he has had full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He dissolved the independent supreme judicial council and sacked dozens of judges in 2022. 'We are not surprised by these unjust and vengeful verdicts that seek to silence the voices of these opposition figures,' Chaouachi's son Youssef said 'I have never witnessed a trial like this. It's a farce, the rulings are ready, and what is happening is scandalous and shameful,' said defence lawyer Ahmed Souab on Friday before the ruling was handed down. Authorities say the defendants, who also include former officials and the former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani, tried to destabilise the country and overthrow Saied. 'The authorities want to criminalise the opposition,' said the leader of the main National Salvation Front opposition coalition, Nejib Chebbi, on Friday. Chebbi was also among the defendants. Saied said in 2023 the politicians were 'traitors and terrorists' and that judges who would acquit them were their accomplices. The opposition leaders involved in the case accuse Saied of staging a coup in 2021 and say the case is fabricated to stifle the opposition and establish a one-man, repressive rule. They say they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting the fragmented opposition to face the democratic setback in the cradle of the Arab spring uprisings. Most of the leaders of political parties in Tunisia are in prison, including Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional party, and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda – two of Saied's most prominent opponents.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tunisia opposition figures get jail terms in mass trial
A Tunisian court has handed down jail sentences of up to 66 years to multiple defendants, including prominent opposition figures, in a mass trial criticised by rights groups. The trial, decried by a defence lawyer as a "masquerade", is of unprecedented scale with around 40 defendants including vocal critics of President Kais Saied. A prosecutor cited on Saturday by local media announced sentences ranging from 13 to 66 years for the defendants, accused of "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group" However, a list communicated to AFP by several lawyers, and "subject to official confirmation", indicates minimum sentences of four years. Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people, with some already in prison for two years while others were in exile or still free. Appeals are planned, defence lawyer Abdessatar Messaoudi said. Bassam Khawaja of Human Rights Watch posted on X: "The court did not give even a semblance of a fair trial." The charges, he said, "appear unfounded and based on no credible evidence". According to the list supplied by lawyers, those accused who are abroad, and who include French intellectual Bernard Henri-Levy, received 33-year jail terms. The same penalty was handed down to feminist activist Bochra Belhaj Hmida and the former head of the presidential office, Nadia Akacha. Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, as well as lawyer Ridha Belhaj and activist Chaima Issa, were sentenced to 18 years behind bars, Messaoudi told AFP. - Harshest penalty - Activist Khayam Turki was handed a 48-year term while businessman Kamel Eltaief received the harshest penalty -- 66 years in prison, the list showed. Turki's cousin, Hayder Turki, told AFP he was "very saddened" by the verdict, saying: "He doesn't deserve this -- he's a great man, his crime was being involved in politics." Two former leaders of the Islamist Ennahdha party, which was Saied's main rival, were also sentenced. Abdelhamid Jelassi and Noureddine Bhiri received 13 and 43 years respectively, according to the list. Kamel Jendoubi, a rights advocate and former minister tried in absentia, decried a "judicial assassination" by the courts. "This is not a judiciary ruling, but a political decree executed by judges under orders, by complicit prosecutors and by a justice minister" who all serve "a paranoid autocrat", Jendoubi charged. Since Saied launched a power grab in the summer of 2021 and assumed total control, rights advocates and opposition figures have decried a rollback of freedoms in the North African country where the 2011 Arab Spring began. Late Friday, defence lawyers denounced the trial after the judge finished reading the accusations and began deliberation without hearing from either the prosecution or the defence. One lawyer, Samia Abbou, told AFP there were "flagrant violations of judicial procedure" with the accused "not heard" during the "masquerade". Friday's hearing lasted much of the day and was held amid tight security. Media and foreign diplomats were barred from the proceedings. Since the trial began on March 4, defence lawyers have repeatedly called for all the defendants to appear in court, including at least six who went on a hunger strike. The lawyers denounced the case as "empty", while HRW said the trial was taking place in the context of repression with Saied "weaponising the judicial system to target opponents and dissidents". Analyst Hatem Nafti posted on X that any acquittal in the mass trial "would have negated the conspiratorial narrative that the regime has relied on since 2021" and "accepted by a large part of the population" relying on restricted media coverage. kl/fka/cab/srm/it
