Court gives Tunisia’s top opposition figure 14 years for alleged state plot: summary

What we know

• A Tunisian court has sentenced Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda party and a key opposition figure, to 14 years in prison.
• The ruling is part of a wider case in which several politicians were accused of plotting against state security, with other party members also receiving long jail terms.
• Ghannouchi’s party came to power after Tunisia’s 2011 uprising but has since faced pressure under President Kais Saied, who took control of most state powers in 2019.
• The defence team said the case relied on an anonymous witness and argued the trial was unfair and politically motivated.
• Arrest warrants were issued for other party members tried in absentia, and Ghannouchi continues to face charges in separate cases.

 What they said

Ghannouchi’s attorneys said in a statement, “All accusations were based on a false and contradictory testimony by a secret, anonymous witness who failed to present any evidence for his baseless and contradictory allegations, and who ultimately retracted most of them." His lawyers denounce what they call “unjustified judicial harassment” by the authorities and are calling for the release of imprisoned Islamist leaders.