Tunisian court sentences Ghannouchi and opposition figures to 12-35 years in prison

Tunis’s primary court on Tuesday issued new prison sentences in the so-called “Conspiracy Case 2”, with rulings ranging between 12 and 35 years. The harshest penalties were handed down in absentia to individuals currently outside Tunisia. The court also dismissed charges against one defendant.

The court sentenced Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda Movement, to 14 years in prison. Ghannouchi refused to attend the trial, maintaining his boycott of all court proceedings and investigations since his arrest.

Ghannouchi has been held in prison since April 2023. Several rulings have been issued against him in cases described by international human rights organisations as “of a political nature.”     

In the same case, the court sentenced Mahrez Zouari, Abdelkarim Obeidi, Ennahda leader Habib Ellouze, and former mayor of Ezzahra, Rayan Hamzawi, to 12 years in prison each.

In absentia, the court sentenced several individuals to 35 years in prison with immediate enforcement. Those convicted include former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha, Ghannouchi’s son Moaaz Ghannouchi, Adel Daadaa, Rafik Abdessalam, Lotfi Zitoun, and journalist Maher Zeid.

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