Alkarama strongly condemns the unjust and politically motivated verdicts issued on 19 April 2025 by the Court of First Instance in the tunisian capital, Tunis, against over thirty leading opposition figures, following trials that fall far short of basic standards of justice and due process. Among those convicted is senior Ennahda leader and former Minister of Justice, Noureddine Bhiri, who has been sentenced to 43 years in prison in the so-called “conspiracy against state security” case.
According to Alkarama’s legal director, Rachid Mesli, “these sentences amount to a judicial massacre carried out by the Tunisian authorities under President Kais Saied, who has monopolised all powers and is pursuing a systematic campaign of retaliation against all political opponents in the country, regardless of their political orientation.” He added, “these rulings epitomise the grave political and human rights crisis that Tunisia is now facing — a regression into repression, authoritarianism, and the erosion of freedoms and rights, despite the progress achieved in the aftermath of the so-called Arab Spring which began in Tunisia.”
The judicial proceedings, which began in February 2023, targeted figures from the National Salvation Front and its president, as well as senior members of Ennahda, former ministers, secretaries-general of political parties, and renowned human rights defenders who have been peacefully active for the past four decades.
Alkarama’s continued monitoring
Alkarama is deeply concerned about the ongoing repression and judicial persecution being carried out by the Tunisian authorities against political opponents in general, and leaders of the Ennahda movement in particular. On 5 June 2024, the Court of First Instance in Tunis held a trial session for the former Minister of Justice and Ennahda Vice-President Noureddine Bhiri, over a Facebook post. Bhiri has been imprisoned since 13 February 2023 and is being prosecuted over a Facebook post that, according to a court-appointed expert, does not exist.
Previously, on 31 December 2021, the Tunisian authorities had arrested Mr Bhiri, only to release him on Monday evening, 7 March 2022, after 67 days of detention. During this period, Alkarama and the Tunisian Association of Torture Victims (AVTT) had submitted his case to relevant United Nations human rights experts. Mr Bhiri spent most of this arbitrary detention in Bizerte Hospital, without any formal charges brought against him, and was only released after a serious deterioration in his health. He was re-arrested on 13 February 2023 and remains in custody to date.
On 6 January 2022, Alkarama, the AVTT, Free Voice, and AFD International filed a complaint with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture regarding the cases of Mr Noureddine Bhiri and Mr Fathi Beldi, a former adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, on the grounds that both men were subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment during their arrest on 31 December 2021 by security forces.
Subsequently, Alkarama, AVTT, Free Voice, and AFD International also submitted the case of Mr Bhiri and Mr Beldi to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD). The two men had been placed under arbitrary house arrest following their violent arrest by security agents on 31 December 2021.
An authoritarian repressive regime
Tunisia has witnessed a deeply alarming decline in political and civil liberties since 25 July 2021, when President Kais Saied dismissed the Prime Minister, suspended all parliamentary activity, and lifted MPs’ immunity, citing a misinterpretation of Article 80 of the Constitution. In further breach of the Constitution, he declared that he would assume all executive, legislative, and judicial powers, with the assistance of a Prime Minister and ministers of his own choosing.
This was followed by a series of violations of individual and collective freedoms, including arbitrary arrests and unlawful house arrests of MPs and senior officials — including judges and political figures. The number of dismissals by presidential decree has also increased since 25 July 2021, affecting numerous senior administrative and judicial officials, some of whom were placed under house arrest by simple administrative order.