Longer sentence handed to jailed Tunisia opposition leader

A Tunisian court of appeal has increased the prison sentence of opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to 20 years, deepening a crackdown on political dissent under President Kais Saied, as reported by Maghrebi Week on February 9th.

Ghannouchi has been imprisoned since 2023 on charges of “conspiracy against the internal security of the state,” and will not appeal the decision, arguing that the judicial process offers no guarantee of a fair trial.

The case forms part of a broader wave of prosecutions targeting political opponents since Saied became president in July 2021, following a power grab when he dissolved parliament and consolidated executive authority.

Maghrebi Week, Maghrebi.org