Jailed Tunisian politician Ayachi Zammel, who ran against President Kais Saied in recent elections, has had his prison sentence extended, his lawyer announced on Tuesday. The cumulative sentences against Zammel now exceed 30 years.
Zammel, one of only two candidates permitted to challenge Saied in the October 6 election, was arrested in early September, shortly after electoral authorities confirmed his candidacy. On Monday, a court in Kairouan added five more years to his sentence, accusing him of falsifying ballot endorsements, according to his lawyer, Abdessatar Messaoudi.
Zammel received three 20-month sentences for the same charge across three separate cases. His three brothers were also sentenced to similar jail terms.
A former lawmaker and businessman, Zammel garnered around seven percent of the vote, compared to Saied’s overwhelming 90 percent, according to Tunisia’s electoral body, ISIE. President Saied, elected in 2019, seized additional powers in 2021 by dissolving parliament and altering the constitution.
Zammel, now facing 37 legal cases all related to alleged falsified endorsements, has described his arrest as politically motivated. His campaign denounced the proceedings as part of a broader crackdown on opposition figures.
The European Union criticized the arrest and expressed concern over Tunisia’s shrinking democratic space, as ISIE disregarded appeals from other candidates seeking to enter the race.
