Tunisia court upholds and extends prison sentences for political opponents

Since 2023, the "Conspiracy 2" case has seen Tunisia's opposition flee the country or face heavy sentences in prison. The sentences in the case, in which the government has accused leading opposition members of conspiring against it, have just been upheld and even extended by a court.

Rached Ghannouchi is facing death in prison. The 84-year-old leader of the Tunisian opposition party Ennahdha, an Islamist-leaning movement, saw his 14-year prison sentence increase to over 40 years on Monday.

This came after a court in Tunisia upheld and also extended the sentences of several leading political figures in the country, all accused of conspiring against authoritarian president Kais Saied.

Ghannouchi refused to appeal the decision, saying that he was convinced that he would not receive a fair trial and that the case against him had been fabricated by political motives.

Under Kais Saied, the opposition and civil society figures have suffered from ever-increasing pressure on their freedom and rights.

The president seized control of almost all powers in the country in 2021 and has sought to imprison and silence numerous opposition politicians, journalists and activists since.

The "Conspiracy 2" case has seen a total of 21 persons accused of conspiracy against the government. While 11 of them managed to flee the country, 10 are behind bars - among them Ghannouchi.