Tunisia: Court
Sentences Professor Rached Ghannouchi and Several Ennahda Leaders to 20 Years
in Prison
A Tunisian court on Tuesday
evening sentenced Ennahda Movement leader Professor Rached Ghannouchi to 20
years in prison on charges of conspiring against state security, in the case
widely known in the media as the “Ramadan Evening Conversation.”
The same sentence was handed down
to senior party figures Youssef Nouri and Ahmed Al-Mashriqi.
In addition, three other senior
figures currently abroad received 20-year prison sentences with immediate
enforcement. They include Ghannouchi’s son-in-law and former Foreign Minister
Rafik Abdessalam, along with opposition figures Maher Ziad, a former member of
parliament, and blogger Mohamed Samti.
The court also sentenced six
defendants, who were released pending trial, to three years in prison. Among
them are two former Ennahda leaders and ex-MPs Mohamed Al-Qomani and Belkacem
Hassan, according to the same source.
The “Ramadan Evening
Conversation” case dates back to February 2023, when opposition politicians,
lawyers, civil society activists, and business figures were arrested on charges
of “attempting to undermine public order and destabilize state security,” “collusion
with foreign parties,” and “incitement to chaos or rebellion.” The accused deny
all allegations.
On April 17, 2023, security
forces raided the home of Professor Rached Ghannouchi (84), former Speaker of
Parliament, and arrested him. A lower court later ordered his detention on
charges of making statements “inciting chaos and rebellion.”
The case became known in the
media as the “Evening Conversation” after Ghannouchi and others made remarks
during a Ramadan gathering organized in 2023 by the National Salvation Front
opposition coalition in solidarity with political detainees.
Ghannouchi has also been
sentenced in other cases, including an increased sentence of 20 years in the
“Conspiracy against State Security 2” case, a three-year sentence in a “foreign
funding” case, and a two-year prison term over donating an international prize
he received in 2016 to the Red Crescent Association.
Professor Rached Ghannouchi, who
has been in detention since April 2023, refuses to attend court hearings,
describing them as “political settling of scores,” while authorities insist
that the judiciary is independent and does not interfere in its proceedings.
Tunisian authorities state that
all detainees are being prosecuted on criminal charges such as “conspiring
against state security” or “corruption,” denying the existence of political
prisoners. Opposition groups and human rights organizations, however, argue
that the cases are political in nature and are being used to sideline political
opponents.
(Source: Agencies)
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