Tunisia: political figures get up to 45 years behind bars

The Court of Appeal in Tunis delivered a final ruling on nearly 40 political figures, in which they faced jail sentences of up to 45 years, according to France 24 via AFP on November 28th.

The defendants, mostly vocal critics of president Kais Saied, were charged with “conspiracy against the state” and “belonging to a terrorist group”. They had originally received jail terms of up to 66 years in April 2025, in a case that was widely criticised as a “sham trial” by Amnesty International.

Several of the accused started hunger strikes in jail to raise awareness of their situation. Tunisian opposition leader Jawhar Ben Mbarek had reportedly been tortured in jail as authorities were trying to intimidate him during his hunger strike.

Lawyer Sonia Dahmani, who had received an 18-month sentence, was able to leave free under supervision. The EU Parliament had earlier called for her release with a resolution that was heavily criticised by Saied, who described it as “blatant interference”.

Tunisia has become increasingly authoritarian since Saied’s power grab in 2021, with the repression of political activists and opposition figures increasing.

The North African state had originally appeared to be a success story, with the fall of Ben Ali’s regime and the democratic elections held in 2011, 2024 and 2019. However, civil rights have since regressed, with Saied systematically attacking local NGOs and undermining the justice system.

This case follows the jailing of several opposition figures, most significantly the head of the Ennahda party Rached Ghannouchi, who is currently serving a 14 year sentence. Former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki, who is exiled, also received a 22 year jail sentence in absentia for “terrorism”.

France 24 with AFP, Amnesty international, Maghrebi.org