Opposition parties and human rights groups have criticized the rise in prison sentences against their leaders
Political parties and civic organizations view judicial follow-ups as narrowing the opposition while the official narrative emphasizes law enforcement in financial corruption and counterterrorism files.
Opposition parties and human rights bodies are criticizing the escalating prison sentences imposed on Tunisian party and civilian leaders, believing that these persecutions constituted a narrowing of opposition political activity. These positions come amid ongoing controversy over the course of the trials involving prominent political figures and faces from civil society in recent times.
Official and judicial authorities, on the other hand, affirm that proceedings and prosecutions directed against those concerned are primarily based on financial corruption files and criminal cases, stressing that the law is applied to all without exception or discrimination on the basis of party character or political activity.
The Anti-Terrorism Jurisdiction of the Tunisian Primary Court had initiated in February 2023 extensive judicial and security prosecutions against about 40 political and legal figures, lawyers and businessmen, including Ahmed Najib Chebbi, Issam Chebbi, Ghazi Chaouachi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek and Noor Al-Din. The indictment was based on chapters from the Criminal Journal and the Anti-Terrorism and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2015, and included charges related to forming a terrorist alliance, targeted assault on a state body, conspiracy against state security, internal and external state security, along with financial corruption and bribery.
The judicial trajectory of the file goes through multiple stages, with the Criminal Chamber specializing in terrorism cases in Tunisia issuing preliminary sentences on 19 April 2025 ranging from 4 years to 66 years imprisonment for those convicted in absentia. Then, on 28 November 2025, the Tunisian Court of Appeal upheld final sentences ranging from 5 years to 45 years in prison with the defendants subjected to administrative supervision and confiscation of funds, before the Court of Cassation on 3 September 2026 rejected appeals from defense bodies to make the penalties effective after the grades had expired.
The current proceedings are aimed at continuing the execution of prison sentences against convicted persons, as well as prosecuting accused persons in the event of immediate enforcement sentences if they escape through approved legal channels.