The sentencing on 19 April of 40 people, together with distinguished political opposition figures, attorneys, and human rights defenders, to harsh jail phrases ranging between 13 and 66 years after being convicted of trumped-up costs by the Tunis Courtroom of First Occasion is an alarming signal of the extent to which the authorities will go of their clampdown on peaceable dissent within the nation.
“The decision is a travesty of justice and illustrates the authorities’ full disregard for Tunisia’s worldwide human rights obligations and the rule of legislation,” mentioned Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Analysis, Coverage, Advocacy and Campaigns at Amnesty Worldwide mentioned:
“These people have been convicted solely for the peaceable train of their human rights. Their trial has been riddled with procedural violations and a blatant disregard of minimal protection rights and was based mostly on unsubstantiated costs.
As an alternative of silencing critics with politically motivated prosecutions, the authorities ought to instantly and unconditionally launch all these detained solely for peacefully exercising their human rights. Tunisia’s authorities ought to instantly quash the unjust convictions and sentences.
“Nobody must be punished for the peaceable train of their human rights.”
Among the many 40 people focused on this trial, six opposition political figures – Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, Khayyam Turki, Issam Chebbi, Ghazi Chaouachi, Ridha Belhaj, and Abdelhamid Jelassi – have been in arbitrary detention for the reason that investigation began in February 2023.
The remainder of the defendants have additionally been sentenced, together with a number of people who had been positioned in have been in detention in relation to different politically motivated instances — akin to senior opposition figures Noureddine Bhiri, Sahbi Atig, and Stated Ferjani from the previous ruling Ennahdha get together. Others, like Riadh Chaibi and Ahmed Nejib Chebbi stay free however have been convicted in absentia. The case additionally targets distinguished human rights defenders Kamel Jendoubi, Ayachi Hammami, and Bochra Bel Haj Hmida, in addition to businessmen and personal media shareholders.
“The deterioration of judicial independence in Tunisia is deeply regarding and the chief authorities’ rising abuse of the justice system and interference within the administration of justice basically undermines the honest trial rights of defendants and the rule of legislation,” mentioned Erika Guevara Rosas.
“It’s essential that the Tunisian authorities uphold their worldwide human rights obligations, together with the rights to freedom of expression and affiliation. They need to stop the focusing on of political opponents, human rights defenders, and critics.”
The tough sentences handed down at daybreak on 19 April ranged between 13 and 66 years in jail, according to the primary deputy public prosecutor on the anti-terrorism judicial unit.
The trial, which has been marred by procedural flaws, a scarcity of due course of, noticed its first session on 4 March 2025 with out detainees current and has been adjourned to 11 April then 18 April. The Bar Affiliation had beforehand acquired notification from the court docket that terrorism trials in March and April would proceed with detainees attending on-line from jail, vaguely citing the existence of a “actual hazard”. This resolution was challenged by the detainees and their protection crew, who argued for his or her proper to be current in court docket. The detainees declared their refusal to take part within the trial on-line and insisted on being bodily current.
On 30 March 2025, Jaouhar Ben Mbarek began a starvation strike to protest the web hearings of the trial. On 8 April 2025, the 5 remaining detainees additionally announced a starvation strike for related causes. Senior Ennahdha official Stated Ferjani, sentenced to 13 years in jail in February 2025 in a separate case, began a starvation strike on 10 April to protest in opposition to the “biased and non-neutral judicial therapy” of this case.
In the course of the preliminary listening to, the court docket inaccurately acknowledged that the detainees had refused to take part within the trial, omitting to say their demand to be introduced bodily earlier than the court docket. Legal professionals current contested this, clarifying that their purchasers had solely refused to take part remotely. Requests to postpone the trial till the detainees may very well be bodily current and arguments highlighting the arbitrariness of their extended detention – exceeding the authorized restrict of 14 months beneath Tunisian legislation – have been ignored by the court docket, which adjourned the session and later introduced the trial would resume on 11 April with out addressing these considerations.
In the course of the court docket listening to on 11 April, some journalists from Tunisian and overseas media have been prevented from accessing the court docket room. The Nationwide Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) denounced the authorities actions. Some observers from civil society teams, together with Amnesty Worldwide in Tunisia have been additionally banned from coming into the court docket room.
The investigation in opposition to the detainees has relied on questionable proof, together with cellphone messages discussing conferences with diplomats and different overseas nationals, in addition to inside communications relating to the opportunity of peaceable opposition to what they termed President Saied’s “coup.”
Background:
Between 11 and 25 February 2023, the “counterterrorism” police brigade arrested the six named political opposition figures based mostly on spurious costs beneath the Tunisian Penal Code and the 2015-26 “counterterrorism” Regulation, together with “conspiracy in opposition to state safety” and trying to “change the character of the State,” costs that may carry the demise penalty. Two different distinguished opposition figures, Lazhar Akremi and Chaima Issa, have been additionally arrested in February 2023 earlier than being launched on bail with restrictive situations in July 2023 after six months of arbitrary detention.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty Worldwide.
