Tunisia: France condemns “unfair” trials
France has criticised trials in Tunisia that resulted in prison sentences ranging from between 13-66 years as being “unfair”.
As reported by the Saudi news agency Asharq Al-Awsat, France is the first country to speak out on the results of the trials.
A number of high-profile politicians, lawyers, journalists, judges and businessmen were sentenced on charges of “conspiring against the state”, with initial arrests dating back to February 2023.
The French Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that: “We learned with concern of the harsh sentences…against several individuals accused of conspiring against state security, including French nationals. We regret the failure to respect fair trial conditions.”
Despite France coming out against the trials, other foreign powers are yet to follow suit although Saied has faced internal criticism in Tunisia.
Protests against the rule of President Kais Saied have been held in the capital of Tunis, with one person saying that “what is happening is true tyranny, no freedom for the opposition, no freedom for the media. Any word can you to prison.”
Lawyers for the defendants spoke of their confusion at many of the charges – with some being held arbitrarily for months – given the fact that many were detained on what they claim to be politically motivated grounds.
The trial was described as a “sham” by the opposition Ennhada Party after some trials were held remotely, in the absence of the defendants despite their categorical rejection of such a move being made.
Forty people have been sentenced and now join the most prominent political opponents of Saied, Abir Moussi and Rached Ghannouchi in jail, where they have both held hunger strikes.
Moussi was sentenced to eight months in prison on August 5th 2024 in the lead up to the autumn election.
President Saied, who won with a landslide 91% of the vote share, arrested leading opposition figures in order to secure his position, despite this he claims that Tunisian democracy is healthy.
Asharq Al-Awsat, Maghrebi
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