Tunisia Jails Opposition Figures in Controversial Terrorism Trial

A Tunisian court has sentenced dozens of senior politicians, businessmen, and lawyers to prison terms of up to 66 years on charges of conspiracy and terrorism, sparking condemnation from human rights organizations who allege the trial is part of a broader campaign to silence dissent. The verdicts, delivered late Friday, targeted leaders of the National Salvation Front (NSF), Tunisia’s main opposition coalition, in a case critics describe as politically motivated. 

Forty defendants have been accused of “conspiracy against state security” and ties to terrorism, with most tried in absentia after fleeing the country. Among those detained were NSF leaders Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek, each handed 18-year sentences. Businessman Kamel Eltaief received a 66-year term, the harshest penalty. Defense lawyer Ahmed Souab denounced the proceedings as a “farce,” while exiled former minister Kamel Jendoubi called the ruling a “political decree,” reflecting widespread skepticism over judicial independence. 

President Kais Saied, elected in 2019, has faced mounting criticism for authoritarian measures, including suspending parliament in 2021 and amassing executive powers. His landslide 2023 re-election followed a crackdown on dissidents and rivals, with Amnesty International warning of a “worrying decline in fundamental rights.” Saied defends his actions as necessary to combat a “corrupt elite” and “traitors.” 

Tunisia’s case mirrors growing repression of opposition across Africa. In Uganda, opposition leader Bobi Wine faced repeated arrests and torture following his 2021 presidential bid against long-ruling Yoweri Museveni. In Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime has jailed opposition figures like Job Sikhala and banned anti-government protests. Cameroon continues to prosecute separatist leaders in its Anglophone regions, while Tanzania, under Samia Suluhu Hassan, critics and banned opposition rallies.

Such crackdowns risk entrenching autocracy, destabilizing regions, and exacerbating socio-economic grievances. Suppressing opposition undermines democratic institutions, fuels public disillusionment, and often triggers unrest, as seen in Sudan and Burkina Faso. Internationally, these actions strain diplomatic ties and aid eligibility; the EU recently froze funds to Tunisia over human rights concerns, while the U.S. has criticized Uganda’s electoral violence. 

Once hailed as the birthplace of the Arab Spring, Tunisia’s democratic backslide under President Saied underscores a troubling trend. As civil society spaces shrink across Africa, analysts warn that silencing dissent may deepen governance crises, leaving leaders increasingly isolated amid global calls for accountability. President Saied, however, remains defiant, vowing to “purge the state” of those he deems threats to national unity.