Tunisian opposition leader sentenced to 14 years

Rached Ghannouchi, Tunisia’s most prominent opposition figure and head of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, deepening the legal troubles surrounding the 84-year-old political veteran.

The verdict, handed down on Tuesday, is part of a broader case in which 18 politicians and officials were convicted of “conspiring against state security.” Ghannouchi's legal team has rejected the charges, criticizing the process as unfair and politically motivated.

Ghannouchi, who has been in custody since 2023, refused to participate in the hearing, even remotely. Over recent months, he has received multiple convictions on various charges—including money laundering—with total sentences now exceeding 20 years.

Once the speaker of Tunisia’s parliament and a leading figure in post-revolution politics, Ghannouchi’s sentencing marks a sharp turn in Tunisia’s political trajectory under President Kais Saied, who suspended parliament in 2021 and has since ruled largely by decree.

The Tunisian government has been accused of intensifying a crackdown on dissent, with numerous opposition leaders, lawyers, journalists, and activists imprisoned or facing charges. Rights groups, both domestic and international, have described the political climate as increasingly repressive—contrasting sharply with the democratic aspirations that emerged after Tunisia’s pivotal role in the 2011 Arab Spring.

Adding to the weight of the latest court ruling, Ghannouchi’s children—Mouadh and Tasnim—were also sentenced in absentia to 35 years each, after fleeing the country. Other high-profile figures sentenced in absentia include former Foreign Affairs Minister Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka and former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani.

President Saied, however, has denied accusations of authoritarianism, insisting that his measures aim to restore order and eliminate corruption that plagued previous administrations.