A Tunisian court has sentenced prominent opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi to 14 years in prison, along with other high-profile politicians and former security officials, to jail terms ranging from 12 to 35 years.
The convictions are part of a mass trial on charges of conspiring against the state, which critics say underscores President Kais Saied’s use of the judiciary to consolidate authoritarian rule.
Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old head of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, has been in prison since 2023 and has received three sentences totaling 27 years in separate cases.
Other notable sentences include 35 years for former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem, and Ghannouchi’s son Mouadh Ghannouchi, all of whom have fled the country.
Saied’s administration has been accused of turning Tunisia into an “open-air prison” and targeting political opponents, which the president denies, claiming his actions aim to end chaos and corruption.
