On Thursday, the Tunisian Court of Cassation upheld prison sentences ranging from five to 45 years, issued against dozens of figures, including opponents and lawyers, in the case of “conspiracy against state security,” according to what families and lawyers said. The ruling of the Court of Cassation is considered final and cannot be appealed.
Published on: 03/09/2026 - 15:29 Last updated: 03/09/2026 - 21:28
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Families and lawyers said that the Court of Cassation in Tunisia on Thursday upheld long prison sentences against opposition leaders, lawyers and businessmen, ranging from five to 45 years, on charges of “conspiring against state security.”
On Thursday, court sessions began to consider the case in which dozens were sentenced to severe penalties, including opposition figures and lawyers.
This session was severely criticized, as lawyers denounced the short period between the date of its announcement and the date of its holding, and considered that this did not allow them to adequately prepare the defense file in this case.
40 people were accused of conspiring to overthrow the government and overthrow the president, in one of the major political cases in Tunisia over the past few years, while 20 of them fled abroad and were sentenced in absentia.
In response, lawyer Haifa Al-Shabbi, daughter of the prominent opposition figure and head of the National Salvation Front, Najib Al-Shabbi, said, “The ruling confirms that the judiciary is not independent.” She added: "The opposition leaders entered prison as a result of a political decision, and they will not be released except with the fall of Saied and the end of the dictatorship."
On the occasion of the session, about twenty people gathered in front of the court in the morning in support of the prisoners, raising banners demanding the release of the historical oppositionist Ahmed Najib Al-Shabi, the lawyer Al-Ayachi Al-Hammami, and the leader of the Ennahda movement, Abdelhamid Al-Jalasi, according to a reporter.
In November 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the sentences issued against dozens of defendants, which amounted to 45 years in prison.
Among the imprisoned people are constitutional law professor and opposition figure Johar Ben Mubarak, former minister Ghazi Chaouachi, former official Reda Bel Hajj, and activist Shaima Issa.
On the eve of the session, lawyer and opposition figure Dalila Mosaddeq, Johar bin Mubarak’s sister, denounced measures that she said were, from their inception, “nothing but a blatant implementation of political instructions.”
For its part, Amnesty International urged the Tunisian authorities to rescind sentences it described as “unjust” and release the detainees. The organization criticized what it considered "a mass trial marred by violations of due process," and denounced prison conditions, where "recent successive heat waves have exacerbated detention conditions inside poorly ventilated cells."
The ruling of the Court of Cassation is considered final and cannot be appealed.
France 24/AFP/Reuters
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