Tunisian Opposition Figures Face National Security Trial
Rights Groups Condemn Politically Motivated Trial in Tunisia
- Scores of prominent Tunisian opposition figures are facing trial on national security charges
- This trial occurs amidst a broader crackdown on political dissent by President Kais Saied.
- The defendants face serious charges that could lead to severe penalties
Scores of prominent Tunisian opposition figures are facing trial on national security charges, including “belonging to a terrorist group” and “plotting against state security.”
This trial occurs amidst a broader crackdown on political dissent by President Kais Saied.
The trial, beginning Tuesday, involves approximately 40 high-profile defendants, including former diplomats, politicians, lawyers, and media figures, many of whom have been critical of President Saied.
Rights groups have condemned the trial as politically motivated.
The defendants face serious charges that could lead to severe penalties, including capital punishment.
President Saied, elected in 2019 following Tunisia’s democratic transition after the Arab Spring, consolidated power in 2021, leading to concerns about diminishing freedoms.
He was re-elected in 2024 with a low voter turnout, while key opposition figures were imprisoned or barred from running.
Among the defendants are prominent critics of Saied, including politicians Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Abdelhamid Jelassi, and Issam Chebbi, the founder of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition.
