Tunisia’s Appeal Rulings Deepen Fears of Politicized Justice and Human Rights Erosion

Human Rights Research Center
3 hours ago
3 min read

December 5, 2025

HRRC condemns the Tunisian authorities’ continued use of politicized trials to silence opposition voices and undermine judicial independence. We urge the immediate end of these abusive practices and demand the release of all individuals detained for exercising their basic rights.

Tunisian courts have upheld prison sentences with few changes for nearly 40 opposition figures in the controversial “Conspiracy Case,” intensifying fears of a justice system increasingly shaped by political interference.

The Tunis Court of Appeal confirmed or increased the sentences of 34 defendants, including prominent political leaders Issam Chebbi, Ghazi Chaouachi, Ridha Belhaj, Jawhar Ben Mbarek and activist Chaima Issa, and raised their terms in prison from 18 to 20 years. Businessman Kamel Ltaief’s sentence was reduced from 66 to 45 years, while a few defendants, such as lawyer Lazher Akremi, were acquitted.

The case has been widely criticised as suffering from procedural shortcomings. The original trial was completed in only three hearings without closing arguments, and the appeal process featured many of the same flaws. Defendants were called with minimal notice, compelled to appear via video link, and denied their right to be physically present in court.

Defence lawyers protesting these violations, meanwhile, have faced pressure, intimidation and even criminal investigations under Tunisia’s cybercrime decree. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have labelled the proceedings as politically motivated.

These developments come against the backdrop of Tunisia’s democratic decline that has occurred since President Kais Saied’s 2021 power grab, in which he suspended parliament, rewrote the constitution, and consolidated control over state institutions. Ever since, dozens of journalists, political leaders, lawyers and activists have been detained under broad charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “spreading false news.”

Reports of ill-treatment of prisoners – including beatings and denial of medical care – have heightened concerns for detainees’ well-being, particularly in the case of opposition figure Jawhar Ben Mbarek.

International actors have raised the alarm, with the European Parliament urging Tunisia to release individuals detained for expressing their views peacefully, a call that President Saied has dismissed as foreign interference.

Collectively, the appeal rulings reveal a shrinking civic space and an alarming erosion of judicial independence in Tunisia.

Glossary

Acquitted – when someone has been declared not guilty of a crime in a court of law.
Appeal Process – A formal way to ask a higher authority (such as a higher court,) to review a decision the defendants disagree with.
Compelled – force or pressured.
Conspiracy – A secret plan made by a group to do something harmful or illegal in the eyes of the government.
Consolidated – Combined into one stronger or more controlled form.
Civic Space – The environment where people can speak, organize, protest and participate in public life freely.
Democratic Decline – the weakening of democratic institutions, such as the peaceful transition of power or free and fair elections, or the violation of individual rights that underpin democracies, especially freedom of expression.
Defendants – an individual, company or institution sued or accused in a court of law.
Detained – Kept in custody by the police or authorities and not allowed to leave.
Erosion – A slow weakening or destruction of something (like rights or freedoms).
Hearings – In law, a hearing is the formal examination of a case (civil or criminal) before a judge.
Ill-treatment – Treating someone badly, cruelly, or unfairly.
Intimidation – Pressuring or scaring someone to silence them or change a decision.
Judicial independence – When courts and judges can make decisions without pressure from the government or people in power.
Notice – A message or warning given formally to inform someone about an occurrence.
Procedural Shortcomings – mistakes or weaknesses in a set of established rules, methods or processes.
Rulings – Official decisions made by a court or judge.
Sentenced – declare the punishment decided for an offender, usually by the court.
Suspended – Temporarily stopped or prevented from continuing (for example, an organization being blocked from working).
Violations – the action of breaking a law or rule.

References

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Tunisia’s Appeal Rulings Deepen Fears of Politicized Justice and Human Rights Erosion

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