Overview
- Thirty-seven defendants were convicted on charges of conspiracy against state security and membership in a terrorist group after arrests largely dating to spring 2023.
- Prison terms for detainees range from 10 to 45 years, with businessman Kamel Letaief receiving 45 years, Khayam Turki sentenced to 35 years, and Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Issam Chebbi, Ridha Belhaj and Ghazi Chaouachi increased to 20 years.
- Two defendants were acquitted and one received a dismissal, while several defendants tried in absentia saw heavy terms maintained, including 33-year sentences for Bochra Belhaj Hmida and Bernard-Henri Lévy.
- Defense lawyers condemned the appeal as held over three brief sessions without defense pleadings, and Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International criticized the case as a politicized misuse of the judiciary.
- President Kais Saied rejected a European Parliament call to free opinion detainees as foreign interference, and relatives say Ben Mbarek is severely weakened by a hunger strike exceeding one month.