The defense team representing Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda Movement, announced that the Court of First Instance in Tunisia issued a verdict yesterday, Monday, sentencing Ghannouchi to one year in prison and imposing a fine of one thousand Tunisian dinars ($328). He was charged with incitement in the controversial "tyrants" case, which dates back nearly two years.
The case originated when a member of the security unions filed a complaint against Ghannouchi, accusing him of referring to security personnel as "tyrants" during a eulogy for a leader of the Ennahda Movement. In response, Ghannouchi firmly stated that he has never harbored fear towards tyrants or oppressors.
It is important to note that Ghannouchi had been on bail throughout the trial and had attended the court session before the counter-terrorism judicial pole on February 21st of the previous year.
The legal team representing Rached Ghannouchi revealed that their client, who has been in custody for approximately a month, did not attend the sentencing hearing today. Ghannouchi himself decided to boycott all investigation sessions, citing a lack of judicial independence, and considering the charges against him as politically motivated fabrications.
Ghannouchi, a prominent critic of Tunisian President Kais Saied, is currently facing trial in six different cases. He was apprehended last month from his residence on charges of conspiring against state security.
In a related development, Tunisia’s opposition group, the National Salvation Front, strongly condemned what they described as an "escalating authoritarian approach by the coup regime" in a press statement. They expressed concern over the imminent risk of social collapse and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners and an end to the ongoing judicial prosecutions against them.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars has also expressed solidarity with the Tunisian people, emphasizing their support for freedom, dignity, and democratic institutions. In a statement, the Union strongly condemned the recent arrests carried out by Tunisian authorities, including the detention of Rached Ghannouchi, a respected Islamic thinker and leader of the Ennahda Party. The Union called for his immediate release, along with all other political prisoners.
Source: Al-Ittihad + Agencies
