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Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Tunisian Islamo-conservative movement and main opponent of President Kaïs Said, was arrested in April and sentenced on Monday to one year in prison for “advocacy for terrorism”, according to his lawyer, Monia Bouali.
Rached Ghannouchi, 81, a main opponent of President Kaïs Saïed, was arrested on 17 April and placed under arrest after making statements that Tunisia would be threatened with “civil war” if left-wing parties or those of political Islam like Ennahda.
But his conviction on Monday is linked to another case in which he was tried in February by the anti-terrorism judicial division before being released. He refused to appear in court, according to his lawyer, rejecting what he called a trumped-up impeachment trial.
Fine of 1,000 dinars
His appearance followed a complaint filed by a police union that accused him of inciting Tunisians to kill each other, due to statements he made in early 2022, during the funeral of an Ennahdha leader. At the time, he had said that the deceased “did not fear leaders or tyrants.”
In addition to a one-year jail sentence, Rached Ghannouchi was fined 1,000 dinars (more than $325), according to the same source.
The opponent had also been tried in November 2022 by a judge from the anti-terrorist judicial division for a case related to the alleged sending of jihadists to Syria and Iraq.
Rached Ghannouchi is the most prominent opposition figure detained since President Kaïs Said took power in July 2021.
With AFP and Reuters
This article was adapted from its original in French.
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