Tunisia Court Sentences Ennahda Leader Rached Ghannouchi to Life in Terror Case

A Tunisian court sentenced Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi to life in prison in a terrorism-related case, with the June 2 ruling also imposing additional prison terms on other figures from the movement.

“Tunisia’s main opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to life imprisonment over controversial terrorism-related charges”

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Morocco’s Justice and Development Party (PJD) leader Abdelilah Benkirane called the verdict “shocking,” saying the court also sentenced other politicians from the same movement.

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The Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced Ghannouchi to life in prison in addition to 30 years on terrorism-related charges, and it sentenced 11 other politicians, including Ali Laaraydh, to life sentences with prison terms of up to 9 years.

The court said Ghannouchi and the other defendants were guilty of “forming a terrorist alliance” and other crimes, and it ordered all convicted individuals to remain under administrative supervision for five years after completing their prison terms.

Ennahda and opposition-aligned voices rejected the charges, with the party saying the ruling “lacked the most basic conditions for justice.”

The Freedom Observatory for Tunisia described the ruling as a “judicial and political massacre” and accused authorities of using the courts to settle political scores.

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The Freedom Observatory argued the case relied heavily on testimony from prisoners, defendants in unrelated cases and a secret witness known only as “Tarek 1,” and it said prosecutors failed to publicly present clear material evidence linking each defendant to the crimes alleged.

Morocco’s PJD also framed its stance as rejecting the use of judicial proceedings as a tool to target political opponents, saying there was “no justification for “imprisoning an elderly man”” in the statement signed by Abdelilah Benkirane.

The case traces its origins to the 2013 assassinations of secular politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, with the complaints that opened the matter in 2022 linked to those killings.

The court’s sentencing in the “Secret Organization” case included Ali Larayedh receiving a 42-year prison sentence and Mustafa Khedher receiving life imprisonment plus an additional 96 years, while other defendants received terms ranging from 10 to 48 years.

APAnews said the case was opened in early 2022 following a complaint by the public prosecutor’s office and the defense collective of assassinated political figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, and it said the court ordered convicts to be placed under administrative control for five years after completing their sentences.

With appeals expected, the Freedom Observatory urged appeal judges to conduct a full review of the evidence and called on the publication of the court’s detailed reasoning, while the Tunisian movement denied the allegations and described them as “politically motivated.”