Tunisian Court Issues Harsh Prison
Sentences Against Ghannouchi and Prominent Opposition Figures
On Tuesday, the Tunis Primary Court issued severe
sentences in the "Conspiracy 2" case, ranging from 12 to 35 years in
prison, with immediate enforcement for defendants residing abroad. The court
also ruled to dismiss charges against one of the accused.
The court sentenced the head of the Ennahda Movement,
Professor Rached Ghannouchi, to 14 years in prison, despite his refusal to
appear before the court and his continued boycott of the trials since his
arrest in April 2023.
Ghannouchi has previously received multiple sentences
in cases that international human rights organizations have described as
“politically motivated.”
The court also sentenced each of Mahrez Zouari,
Abdelkarim Oueididi, senior Ennahda figure Habib Ellouze, and former mayor of
Zahra, Rayan Hamzaoui, to 12 years in prison.
In absentia, the court sentenced to 35 years in prison
with immediate enforcement: former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha;
Moaz Ghannouchi, son of the movement's leader; Adel Daddaa; Rafik Abdessalem;
Lotfi Zitoun; and journalist Maher Zaid.
The verdicts included subjecting all those convicted
to five years of administrative surveillance. The charges relate to “forming
and joining a terrorist group, using Tunisian territory to commit terrorist
crimes, recruiting and training individuals, and spreading information that
threatens national security.”
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed
remains outside the scope of the trial, after appealing the decision to refer
him to the criminal court.
These rulings come months after verdicts were issued
in the "Conspiracy 1" case against other prominent political figures,
including Kamel Ltaief (66), Khayam Turki (48), and Noureddine Bhiri (43),
among others.
Ghannouchi’s defense team stated that the verdict was
delivered “remotely,” and that their client refused to participate due to the
“absence of fair trial standards,” noting that the rest of the defendants were
“prevented from attending and defending themselves.”
The team added that the accusations were based on a
“false report from an anonymous secret witness,” considering the proceedings a
“political trial aimed at eliminating opponents of Kais Saied’s regime” since
July 25, 2021.
They affirmed their continued legal and human rights
battle in defense of Ghannouchi’s freedom and the right to a fair trial that
upholds the law and presumption of innocence.
(Source: Agencies)
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