Skip to main content

Ex-Tunisian PM sentenced in controversial terrorism trial

1 min Mena Today

A Tunisian court sentenced former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh to 34 years in prison on Friday, accusing him of facilitating the departure of jihadists to Syria over the past decade. 

Ali Larayedh © TNS

Ali Larayedh © TNS

A Tunisian court sentenced former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh to 34 years in prison on Friday, accusing him of facilitating the departure of jihadists to Syria over the past decade. 

The verdict, confirmed by his lawyer to Reuters, marks a significant escalation in Tunisia’s ongoing political crackdown.

Larayedh, who led the government from 2013 to 2014, is a senior member of the opposition Ennahda party—an Islamist political force that has long stood in opposition to President Kais Saied. The party strongly denies the terrorism-related charges, calling the trial politically motivated.

“I was neither sympathetic, nor complicit, nor neutral, nor lenient toward violence, terrorism,” Larayedh reportedly told the court during the hearing. He has been held in pretrial detention since 2022.

The court ruling follows a wave of prosecutions targeting opposition figures, including the recent detention of lawyer Ahmed Souab and other notable political, media, and business figures. Tunisia’s state news agency TAP reported that sentences were issued for eight individuals, ranging from 18 to 36 years.

Human rights groups have condemned these developments as part of a dangerous clampdown on dissent, accusing President Saied’s government of weaponizing the judiciary. The administration has denied these accusations, asserting that the judiciary remains independent.

Since the 2011 revolution, thousands of Tunisians are believed to have joined jihadist groups in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. Critics have long accused Ennahda, which held power during much of that period, of turning a blind eye to these departures—an allegation the party continues to refute.

The verdict against Larayedh comes amid a broader erosion of democratic norms in Tunisia, where President Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in 2021.

By Hassan Nedjar 

Related

Tunisia

Tunisia sentences ex-President Marzouki to 22 years in absentia

A Tunisian court on Friday handed down a 22‑year prison sentence in absentia to former President Moncef Marzouki, a fierce critic of President Kais Saied, on charges of undermining state security, raising the opposition's fears of an escalating crackdown against critics.

Egypt

Egypt blocks pro-Palestinian convoy en route to Gaza

Egyptian authorities have blocked a convoy organized by the Global March to Gaza, detaining several dozen pro-Palestinian activists outside Cairo for hours, according to the group’s organizers. Some were released, but others remain in custody.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.