Overview

• The trial accuses 40 individuals, including politicians, activists, lawyers, and journalists, of conspiring against state security and terrorism, with some facing potential death penalties if convicted.
• Rights groups and defense lawyers have denounced the trial as politically motivated, labeling it a crackdown on opposition voices critical of President Kais Saied's government.
• Several defendants have been held in pretrial detention for over two years, exceeding legal limits, while others have fled abroad to avoid prosecution.
• Defendants detained for the trial were barred from attending in person, appearing via videoconference instead, a move criticized as undermining fair trial rights.
• The case follows broader concerns about Tunisia's rollback of democratic freedoms since Saied's 2021 power grab, which included dissolving parliament and consolidating executive authority.