A Tunisian court has sentenced human rights activist Saadia Mosbah to eight years in prison and fined her £26,000 ($35,000). Mosbah, who leads the anti-racism group Mnèmty, had been charged with money laundering and illicit enrichment and was arrested in May 2024. The 66-year-old has long been a prominent advocate for sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia, particularly after a 2023 speech by President Kais Saied, which described 'hordes of illegal migrants' as a demographic threat. Since President Saied dissolved parliament in 2021, opposition figures and rights groups have warned of a steady erosion of rights and freedoms in the North African country.
'The verdict is a major shock, and it is part of a broader effort to dismantle civil society groups and shift responsibility for the state's failure to address the migrant issue onto these groups,' Mosbah's lawyer, Hela Ben Salem, told Reuters. Authorities last year ordered the suspension of activities of leading civil society organisations, citing financial audits linked to foreign funding. During Thursday's hearing, lawyers for Mosbah - who was tried alongside other activists - argued that their clients were innocent.
Mosbah's son was also sentenced to three years in prison, while another campaigner received a two-year term. A day before the hearing, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and the World Organisation Against Torture called on Tunisian authorities to release Mosbah immediately, citing her age and health concerns. Human rights groups have warned that the crackdown risks further hindering humanitarian work and narrowing the space for independent advocacy in Tunisia.
'The verdict is a major shock, and it is part of a broader effort to dismantle civil society groups and shift responsibility for the state's failure to address the migrant issue onto these groups,' Mosbah's lawyer, Hela Ben Salem, told Reuters. Authorities last year ordered the suspension of activities of leading civil society organisations, citing financial audits linked to foreign funding. During Thursday's hearing, lawyers for Mosbah - who was tried alongside other activists - argued that their clients were innocent.
Mosbah's son was also sentenced to three years in prison, while another campaigner received a two-year term. A day before the hearing, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and the World Organisation Against Torture called on Tunisian authorities to release Mosbah immediately, citing her age and health concerns. Human rights groups have warned that the crackdown risks further hindering humanitarian work and narrowing the space for independent advocacy in Tunisia.
