A Tunisian court has handed Rached Ghannouchi, the jailed leader of the opposition Ennahdha party, an additional 22-year prison sentence on charges including plotting against state security, his lawyers confirmed on Wednesday.
Ghannouchi, one of President Kais Saied’s most vocal critics, has been in detention since April 2023 and was previously convicted of receiving illegal foreign funding and terrorism-related offenses. The latest ruling is the harshest sentence imposed on him so far.
The court also issued severe sentences for other individuals linked to Ennahdha, including members of Ghannouchi’s family and journalists from a digital media company, Instalingo, which has been under government scrutiny since Saied’s power grab in 2021.
According to defense lawyers, at least 17 individuals are already behind bars, with sentences ranging between five and 37 years. Among those convicted are Ghannouchi’s son Mouadh (35 years), daughter Soumaya (25 years), and son-in-law Rafik Abdessalem (34 years), who previously served as foreign minister from 2011 to 2013.
Former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi was sentenced in absentia to 35 years, while journalist Chahrazed Akacha received 27 years. Said Ferjani, a senior Ennahdha figure, was sentenced to 13 years.
Critics, including Ferjani’s daughter Kaouther Ferjani, condemned the ruling as politically motivated, arguing that there was absolutely no evidence against the accused. Ennahdha also denounced the case as an attack on fundamental rights and freedoms.
Since the 2011 revolution, which ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Ennahdha played a dominant role in Tunisia’s political landscape. However, President Saied’s 2021 power consolidation has led to the detention of multiple opposition figures, with rights groups warning of growing authoritarianism in the country.