In brief
A court in Tunisia has delivered heavy sentences to approximately 40 opposition figures, including prominent leaders and activists, signaling a disturbing escalation in the government's crackdown on dissent. The ruling follows charges of conspiring against state security, which rights advocates classify as politically motivated. Sentences range from 13 to 66 years in prison, according to the official news agency TAP. Once a symbol of democratic progress in the region, Tunisia's political landscape has drastically changed since President Kais Saied asserted tighter control in 2021, reversing many democratic gains made post-Arab Spring. Economic stagnation and social divisions propelled Saied to power, but his rule has since morphed into a regime marked by repression, media censorship, and government overreach. As dissent becomes increasingly dangerous, fear looms over anyone daring to critique the current regime.
As the North African nation continues to slide toward authoritarianism, a court sentenced about 40 people, including high-profile rivals of the president, to up to 66 years in prison. President Kais Saied of Tunisia has brought ever-harsher repression in the four years since his power grab. In the latest sign of deepening repression in what was once virtually the sole Arab democracy, a court in Tunisia has handed down heavy sentences to prominent opposition figures convicted on charges of conspiring against state security, the country’s official news agency said on Saturday. Rights groups and lawyers have called the charges baseless. Forty people had been charged in the case, including opposition leaders, lawyers, businessmen, rights activists and journalists. The court handed down prison sentences of 13 to 66 years, the news agency, TAP, said, citing a judicial official. The agency gave no other details. Tunisia, in North Africa, was the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings against authoritarian rule that began in late 2010 and surged across much of the Arab world. But the country has been steadily sliding back into authoritarianism and repression since President Kais Saied moved to institute one-man rule in 2021. In the decade after the uprising, Tunisia managed to establish democratic elections, a liberated news media and freedom of expression, allowing protests and citizen complaints to flourish. But the economy stagnated, state finances deteriorated, inequalities remained or deepened, and Tunisians grew increasingly divided over the power that political Islamists had accrued in the post-revolution years. That led many Tunisians to embrace Mr. Saied and his promises of change. Nearly four years after his power grab, however, Mr. Saied has squandered his popularity on decisions that experts say have only worsened the economic crisis and brought ever-harsher repression. Journalists, political activists, lawyers, and rights groups say that the news media has been largely muzzled and that the once-independent judiciary has been forced to carry out Mr. Saied’s will. Many Tunisians fear prosecution for criticizing the government. Mr. Saied has also taken over a number of important, formerly independent government institutions, such as the one overseeing elections.
