Tunisia confirms two decades’ prison sentence against Rached Ghannouchi
The decision reaffirmed previous judgments against 40 defendants drawn from political, media, online, and business circles. However, the court adjusted the ruling for one female defendant, reducing her sentence and ordering her release, as stated by reports citing judicial officials.
Earlier this month, a lower court issued prison terms ranging from five to 54 years for 41 individuals, including Ghannouchi, who is 84 years old. He has been held since April 17, 2023, after security forces searched his residence. Since then, he has received several additional sentences in other cases.
According to a judicial source quoted in official reporting, the appeals panel upheld all convictions except that of Shatha Belhaj Mubarak. Her sentence was cut from five years to two years, and the court ordered that its execution be suspended.
Under this ruling, Belhaj Mubarak was released, with the remaining sentence to be applied only if she commits another offense during the probationary period.
Under Tunisian law, decisions by an appeals court are not considered final. Defendants retain the right to contest the verdicts before the Court of Cassation, although such challenges do not suspend the enforcement of sentences.
All those convicted have rejected the accusations against them. The charges include plotting against state security, attempting to change the nature of the state, encouraging Tunisians to confront each other with weapons, inciting violence and looting, and carrying out acts described as hostile toward the president.
In legal terminology used in Tunisia, the accusation of committing a “hostile act against the president” refers to behavior viewed as a grave attack on the person or authority of the head of state. This can include threats, physical aggression, or actions perceived as weakening state authority.
Instalingo is a digital media and communications firm that operated in the eastern city of Kalaa Kebira in the Sousse governorate. Its offices were raided on Sept. 10, 2021, following allegations linked to offenses against state security, money laundering, and online defamation.
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