Tunisia sentences opposition leader, bringing jail time to +20 years

A Tunisian court has sentenced opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to 14 years in prison, deepening the government’s clampdown on political dissent, as reported by the BBC on July 9th.

Ghannouchi, who leads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, stood among 18 politicians and officials convicted of “conspiring against state security.” The ruling adds to previous sentences, bringing his total jail time to over 20 years.

Ghannouchi’s defence team rejected the charges, insisting the trial failed to meet international fair trial standards. The 84-year-old, jailed since 2023, refused to attend the hearing via video link.

Ennahda, once Tunisia’s largest party, has long served as a pillar of post-revolution politics. Ghannouchi, who founded the party and served as speaker of parliament, remains one of the country’s most recognisable political figures.

Tunis Afrique Presse reported that the court also sentenced Ghannouchi’s children, Mouadh and Tasnim, to 35 years in absentia. Both fled Tunisia before the trial, while former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka and ex-intelligence chief Kamel Guizani also received prison terms in absentia.

President Kais Saied suspended parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. Since then, authorities have detained most major opposition leaders, alongside journalists, lawyers, and online critics.

Rights groups have repeatedly condemned what they describe as systematic repression. They argue that Saied’s government has weaponised the judiciary to silence critics. Saied has denied these accusations, claiming he seeks to end turmoil and corruption left behind by previous administrations.

Observers now view Tunisia, once hailed as a democratic success story, as sliding rapidly into authoritarianism.

BBC, Maghrebi.org