By Ebi Kesiena
A presidential candidate in Tunisia, Ayachi Zammel, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison on fraud charges, just weeks before the country’s election. His attorney claims the charges are politically motivated, as Zammel seeks to challenge incumbent President Kais Saied in the upcoming vote.
Zammel was convicted by a court in Jendouba for falsifying signatures required to submit his candidacy. The businessman and leader of the Azimoun party faces over 20 additional charges across Tunisia, with four more cases scheduled for hearing.
Despite his incarceration, Zammel plans to continue his campaign from behind bars. His lawyer, Abdessattar Messaoudi, expressed disappointment but said the ruling was anticipated, given the pressure his client has faced since entering the race. “This is no surprise. We expected such a ruling given the harassment he has been subjected to since announcing his candidacy,” Messaoudi remarked.
Zammel is one of only two candidates running against Saied in the October 6 election. Several of Saied’s critics have similarly faced legal action ahead of the election, raising concerns about political repression. Last month, two other candidates, Nizar Chaari and Karim Gharbi, were sentenced on similar charges of falsifying signatures.
In a separate case, another presidential hopeful, Abdellatif El Mekki, was arrested in connection with a 2014 murder investigation, which some observers have also labeled as politically motivated.
High-profile figures such as Abir Moussi of the Free Destourian Party and Rached Ghannouchi of the Islamist Ennahda party, both critics of President Saied, have been imprisoned since last year. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the wave of arrests, calling it an attack on human rights and Tunisia’s democratic integrity.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International stated this week that the actions represent “a clear pre-election assault on the pillars of human rights and the rule of law.”
