Overview
- An appeals court on February 3 upheld and in some cases increased prison terms for high-profile politicians and former officials in a mass conspiracy case.
- Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi’s sentence rose from 14 to 20 years, bringing his cumulative prison terms to 50 years, and his lawyers say he will not seek a further appeal.
- Former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha was sentenced in absentia to 35 years, while 35-year terms were upheld for Kamel Guizani, Rafik Abdessalem and Mouadh Ghannouchi, all outside Tunisia.
- Authorities charged 21 people in the case, with 10 in custody and 11 having fled, on counts that include conspiracy against internal state security and forming an organisation linked to terrorist crimes.
- Defendants deny the accusations as politically fabricated, a stance that rights groups say aligns with a broader clampdown since Saied dissolved parliament and reshaped the judiciary in 2021.