‘A mockery’: Mass trial begins in Tunisia of political opponents

In Tunisia, the collective trial of approximately 40 opposition figures has commenced. Human rights organizations claim that the crackdown on voices critical of Tunisian President Kais Saied is politically motivated, raising concerns about the state of democracy in the country.

Many of the defendants face charges ranging from "conspiracy against state security" to "belonging to a terrorist organization." They are all prominent critics of the president, including politicians, former diplomats, lawyers, and well-known media figures, reflecting a broad spectrum of dissent against the current administration.

Family members of the defendants reportedly packed the trial chamber of the First Instance Court in the Tunisian capital on Tuesday, chanting "Freedom" and accusing the judiciary of acting on the government's orders. Bassam Trifi, head of the Tunisian Human Rights Defenders League, stated: "We are facing the biggest judicial scandal, one of the darkest injustices in the history of Tunisia," highlighting the severity of the situation.

Accusations that Saied is overturning the democratic gains of the country's 2011 revolution have plagued him since he dramatically seized power in July 2021. At that time, he shut down parliament, dismissed the speaker and prime minister, and began a period of presidential decree rule. Many of those currently on trial are prominent critics of this process, such as Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, who led the National Salvation Front and the Citizens Against the Coup organization – both formed to protest Saied's suspension of parliament.

Other individuals on trial include Nadia Akacha, former chief of staff to the president; Kamel Guizani, former head of intelligence; and Abdelhamid Jlassi, a former leader of the opposition Ennahda movement, who, like Ben Mbarek, was arrested in 2023. The International Commission of Jurists stated that Ben Mbarek, Jlassi, and four other defendants—politicians Khayam Turki, Issam Chebbi, Ghazi Chaouachi, and lawyer Ridha Belhaj, all of whom are being held in pre-trial detention—were prohibited from attending the hearing, adding that the decision undermined what it called a "grossly unfair" trial. Akacha and Guizani both reside abroad.

Other prominent members of the Ennahda movement on trial include Sahbi Atig and Said Ferjani, as well as former Justice Minister Noureddine Bhiri. Human Rights Watch has condemned the mass trial, calling it a "mockery." Bassam Khawaja, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch, stated: "Tunisian authorities should immediately release all those arbitrarily detained over the past two years in the so-called 'conspiracy' case, who are being prosecuted on abusive security and terrorism charges, and end this farcical trial."

This move is only the latest crackdown targeting Saied's political opponents. Rached Ghannouchi, the 83-year-old leader of the Ennahda party, who also served as speaker of parliament, has been sentenced to a total of more than 26 years in prison after multiple trials following his initial arrest in April 2023. On the other end of the political spectrum, Abir Moussi, leader of the secular Free Destourian Party, has also been imprisoned since 2023, highlighting a broad suppression of dissent.

Despite Saied's recent assurance on Sunday that he has never interfered in the judiciary, the president is widely accused of doing precisely the opposite. Tunisian and international human rights organizations have previously condemned Saied for undermining the judiciary's checks on his power, including dismissing judges and dissolving the 2023 body guaranteeing the judiciary's independence. Tunisian courts also played a key role in last year's presidential elections, effectively excluding nearly all of Saied's rivals, imprisoning several of his competitors on what critics say are spurious charges and barring them from running.

Human rights organizations and international bodies continue to criticize Saied's actions. Amnesty International has called for an end to politically motivated prosecutions, while the United Nations has also called for an end to the persecution of political opponents and activists. Meanwhile, Tunisia maintains close ties with the European Union, at the heart of which is Tunisia's role in combating migration and refugee routes from North Africa to Europe, further complicating the situation.