Tunisian Court Hands 14-Year Sentence to Opposition Leader Ghannouchi
(MENAFN) A Tunisian court on Tuesday handed a 14-year prison sentence to Rached Ghannouchi, head of the opposition Ennahdha Party, on charges of "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group," according to a state-run news agency.
The ruling came from the criminal chamber dedicated to terrorism cases at the Tunis First Instance Court.
Along with Ghannouchi, several former officials and political figures received 12-year prison terms. This group includes former intelligence chief Mahrez Zouari, ex-head of aircraft security at Tunis-Carthage International Airport Abdelkarim Abidi, senior Ennahda member Habib Ellouze, and Rayan Hamzaoui, mayor of Ezzahra in Ben Arous province.
The court also imposed 35-year sentences on several accused individuals who remain fugitives. This list features former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha, Ghannouchi’s son Moaz Ghannouchi, and Ennahda officials Adel Daadaa and Rafik Abdessalem.
The case was referred to trial on May 15, 2024, with hearings starting nearly a year later on May 2, 2025. After several delays, the court set July 8 to announce its verdicts.
Approximately 20 Tunisians face charges spanning “forming a terrorist group, conspiracy against internal state security, terrorism financing, money laundering, attempting to overthrow the government and using social media to incite violence.”
Details of the rulings for all defendants were not fully disclosed by the Tunisian agency. All verdicts remain open to appeal.
Human rights groups and opposition parties have condemned the trial, branding it as “politically motivated” and accusing authorities of using it as a tactic “to silence critics of President Kais Saied and his exceptional measures.”
Authorities, however, maintain that prosecutions are strictly criminal, denying any political bias, and stress that defendants are charged with offenses such as “conspiracy against state security” and “corruption.”
President Saied launched a series of sweeping powers on July 25, 2021, including dissolving parliament and the judiciary, ruling by decree, adopting a new constitution via referendum, and calling early legislative elections.
While critics describe these actions as “a coup that entrenched authoritarian rule,” supporters argue they mark “a course correction following the 2011 revolution” that toppled former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Tuesday’s sentencing follows a related case from April 19, when 40 defendants received prison terms ranging from four to 66 years—sentences similarly disputed by opposition forces.
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