Tunisia Hands Islamist Opposition Chief Life Sentence in Terror Trial
The criminal terrorism chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance handed down penalties ranging from a decade behind bars to life imprisonment across the 35-defendant trial, a judicial source confirmed to state news agency Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP).
Ghannouchi, 82, a former parliament speaker held in detention since April 2023, was handed the harshest combined term — life imprisonment plus an additional 30 years. His deputy, Ali Larayedh, received a 42-year sentence. Former security official Mustafa Khedher faced the most severe ruling of all: life plus 96 years in prison. Additional defendants received terms spanning 10 to 50 years.
All convicted individuals were further placed under mandatory administrative supervision for five years upon release, the court ordered.
Convictions stemmed from multiple charges, including forming and joining what prosecutors designated a "terrorist" organization, alongside additional violations of Tunisia's counterterrorism legislation.
The case traces back to early 2022, when the public prosecutor — alongside lawyers representing slain opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, both assassinated in 2013 — filed the triggering complaint against Ennahda's alleged clandestine network.
The movement has consistently pushed back against those accusations. Ennahda has repeatedly denied allegations related to the existence of a secret apparatus and has described judicial proceedings against its leaders as politically motivated.
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