Tunisia: Former PM sentenced to 34 Years in prison
Former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh was handed a 34-year prison sentence by a Tunisian court for allegedly facilitating the flight of fighters to Syria, a charge he vehemently disputes.
In response to what he and his Ennahdha party have described as a politically motivated prosecution, Larayedh told the judge”I was neither sympathetic, nor complicit, nor neutral, nor lenient towards violence, terrorism”.
The decision is the most recent setback for President Kais Saied’s main opponent, the Ennahdha party. Larayedh, the Prime minister from 2013 to 2014, has been detained Since 2022.
Only a week has passed since Ahmed Souab, a vocal critic of Saied, was arrested and new prison sentences were imposed on businesspeople, media personalities, and political rivals on a number of conspiracy-related charges. The sentences, which range from 18 to 36 years in prison, apply to eight people, according to state news agency TAP.
Those found guilty alongside Larayedh were not named by the court. Ennahdha refutes all claims of terrorism, claiming that the case is a part of a larger campaign against dissent that has gotten more intense since Saied took over sweeping powers and suspended parliament in 2021. Rejecting allegations of political meddling, the government upholds the independence of Tunisia’s judiciary. But according to human rights organizations, the suppression of dissenting opinions is a risky step up.
On Thursday, Saied’s opponents demonstrated in Tunisia’s streets, accusing him of stifling dissent by using the police and courts. This was the second protest in a week, and it came as concerns about what critics perceive to be an authoritarian trend in the nation that gave rise to the Arab Spring are growing.
Anti-Saied demonstrators marched along Habib Bourguiba Avenue, shouting slogans such as “Saied, you are a dictator” and “The people want the fall of the regime,” which echoed the demands that fueled the 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.