A Tunisian court has handed down a 34-year prison sentence to former Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh, marking the latest in a series of harsh rulings against critics of President Kais Saied. The 69-year-old opposition leader, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was convicted alongside seven others on charges of forming a terrorist cell and facilitating travel for Tunisians to join militant groups abroad.
Laarayedh, who served as prime minister from 2013 to 2014, has repeatedly denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated. In a letter to prosecutors last month, he declared, “I am not a criminal… I am a victim in this case.” His sentencing on Friday has drawn sharp condemnation from human rights organizations, who allege the trial was a sham designed to silence dissent.
The case is part of a broader crackdown under Saied’s rule, with at least 40 opposition figures including diplomats, lawyers, and journalists jailed in recent weeks. Since dissolving parliament in 2021 and ruling by decree, the president has consolidated power, rewriting the constitution to expand his authority. Rights groups accuse him of dismantling Tunisia’s democratic institutions and weaponizing the judiciary against opponents.
Human Rights Watch has condemned Laarayedh’s prosecution as an attempt to “tar Ennahda leaders and other opponents as terrorists.” Ennahda, which briefly governed Tunisia after the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, was once a dominant political force but has seen its influence wane under Saied’s authoritarian turn.
The Arab Spring, which began in Tunisia after street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation sparked mass protests, initially raised hopes for democratic reform. But many Tunisians now believe those gains have been erased, pointing to Saied’s tightening grip on power. The president, however, dismisses criticism, framing his actions as a fight against “traitors” and decrying “blatant foreign interference.”
