A Tunisian court has sentenced eight individuals to death for their involvement in the 2013 assassination of opposition leader Mohamed Brahmi, local media reported on Tuesday. The defendants faced charges of attempting to alter the nature of the state and inciting armed conflict.
Three of the convicted individuals received additional death sentences for their direct participation in Brahmi’s premeditated murder. Meanwhile, a ninth defendant, who remains at large, was sentenced to five years in prison for failing to report terrorist activities to the authorities.
Despite the sentences, Tunisia has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1991, meaning the rulings are unlikely to be carried out. Nevertheless, the verdicts mark a significant milestone in the protracted legal proceedings surrounding Brahmi’s killing, which took place outside his home on July 25, 2013.
Brahmi, a left-wing nationalist and a member of Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly, was a vocal critic of the Islamist-inspired government led by Ennahdha. His assassination, which followed the murder of fellow opposition figure Chokri Belaid earlier that year, provoked widespread outrage and protests across Tunisia.
The politician, who had been elected in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution that ousted former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was shot 14 times in front of his wife and children. His family has long accused Ennahdha of involvement in his murder, though the party has consistently denied the allegations. At the time, the government blacklisted the formerly legal Salafist movement Ansar al-Charia as a terrorist organisation, amid growing concerns over jihadist activity in the country.
The Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the assassinations of both Brahmi and Belaid. The aftermath of the 2011 revolution saw a surge in recruitment into insurgency, with thousands of Tunisians travelling to conflict zones in Syria, Iraq, and Libya.
Tunisia also faced security threats within its borders, particularly from militant groups operating in the Chaambi Mountains near Algeria. In 2015, a series of attacks in Tunis and Sousse claimed the lives of dozens of tourists and security personnel. While authorities claim to have significantly weakened extremist networks, the country remains under a state of emergency.
President Kais Saied, who has repeatedly referred to Brahmi and Belaid as national “martyrs,” has prioritised justice for their murders. In 2022, he dismissed dozens of judges, accusing them of obstructing investigations into the cases.
The political crisis triggered by the assassinations nearly derailed Tunisia’s fragile democratic transition. However, a dialogue led by four civil society organisations, including the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), helped stabilise the situation and ultimately earned Tunisia the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.
