Tunisian court imposes maximum of 66-year prison sentences in large-scale prosecution of opponents of the government | Tunisia

A court in Tunisia has sentenced politicians, business individuals, and lawyers to prison terms ranging from 13 to 66 years, in a trial that opponents claim is fabricated and emblematic of President Kais Saied’s authoritarian governance. Kamel Ltaif, a businessman, received the longest sentence of 66 years, while Khayam Turki, a political opposition figure, was sentenced to 48 years in prison. Other notable opposition members, including Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chebbi, Jawahar Ben Mbarek, and Ridha Belhaj, were also sentenced to 18 years in prison; these individuals have been in custody since 2023. This trial involved 40 individuals in total, with more than 20 fleeing abroad following their charges. Saied secured re-election in 2024 with 90.7% of the vote, having come to power in 2019. Since dissolving parliament in 2021 and assuming power through decrees, he has been accused of exerting full control over the judiciary, including dissolving the independent supreme judicial council and dismissing numerous judges in 2022. Opposition figures contend that the trial is a farce aimed at silencing voices critical of Saied’s rule, accusing him of staging a coup and fabricating evidence to suppress the opposition and establish an autocratic regime. The authorities assert that the defendants were attempting to destabilize the country and overthrow Saied. The opposition maintains that they were working on an initiative to unite against the perceived democratic setback in a country known for its role in the Arab Spring uprisings. Large numbers of Tunisian political leaders, including Abir Moussi of the Free Constitutional Party and Rached Ghannouchi of Ennahda, are currently imprisoned, indicating the scope of Saied’s crackdown on opposition.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/20/tunisia-court-prison-sentences-kais-saied