A Tunisian court sentenced Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the opposition Ennahdha Party, to 14 years in prison Tuesday on charges related to "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group,” the state-run Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported.
The verdict was issued by the criminal chamber for terrorism-related cases at the Tunis First Instance Court.
Alongside Ghannouchi, the court sentenced several former officials and political figures to 12 years in prison, including former intelligence chief Mahrez Zouari, former head of aircraft security at Tunis-Carthage International Airport Abdelkarim Abidi, senior Ennahda official Habib Ellouze and Rayan Hamzaoui, the mayor of Ezzahra in Ben Arous province.
In addition, the court handed down 35-year prison terms to several individuals currently at large, including former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha, Ghannouchi’s son Moaz Ghannouchi and Ennahda officials Adel Daadaa and Rafik Abdessalem.
The indictment chamber had referred the case to trial on May 15, 2024. Hearings began on May 2, 2025 and were postponed several times before the court set July 8 as the date to deliver its rulings.
Around 20 Tunisians are facing charges in the case, including “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.”
The Tunisian agency did not detail the verdicts for all defendants. All rulings remain subject to appeal.
Several human rights organizations and opposition groups have criticized the case, calling it “politically motivated” and part of a broader effort “to silence critics of President Kais Saied and his exceptional measures.”
Tunisian authorities, however, have repeatedly denied prosecuting individuals for political reasons, asserting that all defendants face criminal charges such as “conspiracy against state security” or “corruption.”
On July 25, 2021, President Saied initiated a series of extraordinary measures that included dissolving the judiciary and parliament, ruling by decree, introducing a new constitution through a referendum and holding early legislative elections.
While some political groups have called these steps a “coup that entrenched authoritarian rule,” others argue that they represent “a course correction following the 2011 revolution” that ousted former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Tuesday’s verdicts follow a similar case in which 40 defendants were sentenced on April 19 to prison terms ranging from four to 66 years – sentences also challenged by the opposition.
