Tunisian opposition leader jailed for 14 years

Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in separate cases.

Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for “conspiring against state security”.

Ghannouchi’s defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial.

Over the past few years, rights groups have repeatedly denounced the jailing of opposition figures in Tunisia, saying the sentences highlight an aggressive crackdown against critics of President Kais Saied.

Ghannouchi has been in jail since 2023 and refused to attend Tuesday’s sentencing remotely.

In recent months, he has received three sentences totalling more than 20 years, for charges such as money laundering.

According to news agency Tunis Afrique Presse, Ghannouchi’s children, Mouadh and Tasnim, were also sentenced on Tuesday, although they had already fled the country. Both received 35-year sentences in absentia.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka and ex-intelligence chief Kamel Guizani were also sentenced in absentia.

President Saied suspended the Tunisian parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree.

Since then, Tunisian and foreign rights groups have reported growing political repression in the country that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

Most opposition leaders have been jailed since 2021, along with some journalists, lawyers, activists and social media users.

Saied has rejected accusations of repression, saying his actions are aimed at bringing an end to the chaos and corruption under previous governments.