The trial of dozens of Tunisian opposition figures resumed on Tuesday under heightened security, with six detained defendants on hunger strike after being prohibited from attending court in person.
Foreign diplomats attended the court session to observe the trial, which involves around 40 prominent individuals, including activists, politicians, lawyers, and media figures. Many of the accused are known for their vocal criticism of President Kais Saied.
Saied, elected after Tunisia emerged as the sole democracy from the Arab Spring, orchestrated a significant power grab in 2021. Since then, human rights organisations have expressed concerns over the erosion of freedoms.
The accused face serious charges, including “plotting against state security” and “affiliation with a terrorist group,” according to their lawyers. These charges could result in severe penalties, including the death sentence.
At the start of the trial on March 4, Tunisia’s judiciary ruled that the defendants would only be allowed to attend Friday’s hearing remotely. In response, six of the detainees, including legal expert Jawhar Ben Mbarek and former leader of the Islamist party Ennahdha, Abdelhamid Jelassi, went on hunger strike to demand in-person attendance at the court. Their defence team confirmed the hunger strike.
“The defence requests that the hearing be adjourned and that the accused be presented in person to their lawyers,” stated one of the defence attorneys, Abelaziz Essid. “We cannot present our arguments under these conditions, and we refuse to act as false witnesses.”
According to an AFP journalist, strict security measures were in place at the entrance to the courtroom in Tunisia’s capital.
Representatives from France, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the European Union were present at the hearing. However, local NGOs were denied access, with only one relative of each defendant permitted entry.
Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, head of the National Salvation Front opposition coalition and one of the accused, dismissed the charges as “wild fabrications.”
The defence lawyers argue that Chebbi, along with several other defendants, faces accusations of having suspicious contacts with foreign diplomats.
Many of the defendants were arrested in February 2023, after which President Saied labelled them “terrorists.” Some, like Chebbi, remain free pending trial, while others have fled abroad, according to the defence committee.
Human Rights Watch has condemned the trial, calling it a “mockery” based on “abusive charges.”
In February, Rached Ghannouchi, 83, the leader of the Ennahdha party, was sentenced to an additional 22 years in prison for plotting against state security. Ennahdha has been Tunisia’s main opposition party and a key rival to Saied.
The United Nations urged Tunisian authorities last month to end “the pattern of arrests, arbitrary detentions, and imprisonment of dozens of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, activists, and politicians.”
Tunisia’s foreign ministry responded to the UN’s statement with “astonishment,” dismissing the claims as inaccurate and stating that “Tunisia can give lessons to those who think they are in a position to make statements.”
