Tunisia opponents to be tried on state security charges amid crackdown

TUNIS: A highly anticipated trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against state security is set to start on Tuesday, with critics and rights groups denouncing it as unfair and politically motivated.

The case has named around 40 high-profile defendants -- including former diplomats, politicians, lawyers and media figures -- some of whom have been outspoken critics of President Kais Saied.

Many were detained following a flurry of arrests in February 2023, after Saied dubbed them “terrorists”. The group faces charges of “plotting against the state security” and “belonging to a terrorist group”, according to lawyers, which could entail hefty sentences.

They include politician Jawhar Ben Mbarek, a former senior figure in the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party Abdelhamid Jelassi, and Issam Chebbi, a founder of the opposition National Salvation Front (FSN) coalition -- all staunch critics of Saied.

Saied was elected in 2019 after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy following the Arab Spring. But in 2021, he staged a sweeping power grab, and human rights groups have since warned of a rollback on freedoms.

The long-awaited case has also charged activists Khayam Turki and Chaima Issa, businessman Kamel Eltaief, and Bochra Belhaj Hmida, a former member of parliament and human rights activist now living in France.