Latest news with #Saied
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tunisian court hands 15‑year sentence to opposition figure Sahbi Atig
TUNIS (Reuters) -A Tunisian court has sentenced Sahbi Atig, a senior official in Ennahda, the country's main opposition party, to 15 years in prison on charges of money laundering, his lawyer said on Friday, the latest move against opposition figures under President Kais Saied. Atig was detained in 2023, one of many opponents of Saied who have been imprisoned since the president began expanding his powers in 2021, dissolving parliament and ruling by decree in what critics have denounced as a coup. Saied has said that all his steps are legal and aimed at ending years of rampant corruption and holding accountable what he calls a corrupt elite. Atig denied the charges against him, saying they were fabricated. "The verdict aims to eliminate political opponents and lacks any credible evidence,' Atig's lawyer, Mokthar Jmaayi, told Reuters. "It is a continuation of the punishment of opponents by using the judiciary and distracting people from their real problems,' he added. The 15-year sentence was shorter than some sentences handed down recently. In April, a court sentenced a string of opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers to prison terms of up to 66 years, on charges of conspiring. Saied has dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges in 2022, raising concerns about judicial independence. The president has said he does not interfere in the judiciary and that his actions aim to purge the judiciary of corrupt judges. Most of the leaders of political parties in Tunisia are in prison, including Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda - two of Saied's most prominent opponents.
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Tunisian court hands 15‑year sentence to opposition figure Sahbi Atig
FILE PHOTO: A Tunisian flag flutters outside the building of Ennahda party in Tunis, Tunisia April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File Photo TUNIS - A Tunisian court has sentenced Sahbi Atig, a senior official in Ennahda, the country's main opposition party, to 15 years in prison on charges of money laundering, his lawyer said on Friday, the latest move against opposition figures under President Kais Saied. Atig was detained in 2023, one of many opponents of Saied who have been imprisoned since the president began expanding his powers in 2021, dissolving parliament and ruling by decree in what critics have denounced as a coup. Saied has said that all his steps are legal and aimed at ending years of rampant corruption and holding accountable what he calls a corrupt elite. Atig denied the charges against him, saying they were fabricated. "The verdict aims to eliminate political opponents and lacks any credible evidence,' Atig's lawyer, Mokthar Jmaayi, told Reuters. "It is a continuation of the punishment of opponents by using the judiciary and distracting people from their real problems,' he added. The 15-year sentence was shorter than some sentences handed down recently. In April, a court sentenced a string of opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers to prison terms of up to 66 years, on charges of conspiring. Saied has dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges in 2022, raising concerns about judicial independence. The president has said he does not interfere in the judiciary and that his actions aim to purge the judiciary of corrupt judges. Most of the leaders of political parties in Tunisia are in prison, including Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda - two of Saied's most prominent opponents. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Morocco World
4 days ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
Opposition Politician Sentenced in Latest Blow to Tunisian Democracy
Free Destourian Party opposition leader Abir Moussi was recently sentenced to two years in prison, delivering the latest blow to Tunisian democracy. She was accused of criticizing the legislative process, and 'attempting to change the form of government, inciting violence attacking with the aim of provoking disorder.' This decision was made by presidential decree during under President Kais Saied. Tunisia had become a regional beacon of hope after the nation had become a democracy following a peaceful revolution which overthrew the dictator, Zine El Ben Ali. Afterwards, the country went through the process of formulating a new constitution – the start of a reform process that won the Nobel Prize. However, Saied, since coming to power in 2019, has been undermining the country's democracy. In 2022 Saied abolished the national parliament and started running the country by decree. He has also rewritten the constitution to take more direct power for himself. During the 2024 elections Saied arrested several opposition figures, winning the election virtually unopposed . In April, Saied arrested several members of the opposition in a crackdown on freedom of speech. This included the arrests of the leaders of the opposition party the National Salvation Front Issam Chebbi and Jawhar Ben Mbarek as well as several members of the nation's Islamist party Ennahada. This was all done due to a new law Decree 54, which has been used to restrict so-called 'false language.' Under this decree there have also been several arrests of journalists, bloggers and everyday citizens. Opposition figures were imprisoned in sentences of up to 4-74 years after trials which have been named by Amnesty International as 'farcical.' Moussi's arrest came after she had tried to submit appeals against presidential decrees which were used ahead of 2024 elections to control the country's democracy. Her arrest now joins a large number that is all part of the Tunisia experiencing a massive democratic backsliding, leaving the state of the nation's future into question. Tags: abir moussiDemocracykais saiedTunisia politics
Straits Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Sudan's RSF launches second drone attack in Port Sudan, security sources say
Sudan's RSF launches second drone attack in Port Sudan, security sources say PORT SUDAN - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched a second drone strike in as many days on Port Sudan, targeting fuel depots in the eastern city early on Tuesday, security sources told Reuters, in a major escalation of a two-year-long conflict. Large plumes of smoke and fire rose from the facility well into the afternoon as civil defence teams worked to contain a blaze there. Military sources told Reuters that the RSF used a drone at dawn to bomb the fuel storage facilities that they described as civilian infrastructure. "This attack reflects a deliberate attempt by these militias to paralyse life and target citizens' basic needs," Sudan's energy and petroleum minister Mohiedienn Naiem Mohamed Saied said. The sources labelled the strike part of a "criminal campaign by the militia." Speaking from the site, Saied condemned what he described as a "terrorist operation" aimed at crippling essential services. He said fires had engulfed major fuel storage facilities after the drone hit a diesel depot and the blaze spread to nearby tanks, according to a ministry statement. There were fears it could trigger a wider disaster in the densely populated area, Saied said. The RSF has not yet claimed responsibility for the strike. On Sunday, the RSF carried out a drone attack on a military base and other targets near Port Sudan Airport, the first time the group had reached the strategic Red Sea city, previously considered a government stronghold and humanitarian hub. No casualties were reported. The eastern expansion of hostilities threatens to upend the fragile stability of Port Sudan, which houses the country's main seaport, airport and the army's top command. Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by war between the army and RSF, triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule. The conflict has displaced over 12 million people and pushed half the population into acute hunger, according to the United Nations. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Middle East Eye
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
As repression deepens, can Tunisia's opposition bring the country back from the brink?
Last month, Tunisia witnessed several days of brutally repressed protests and a sham trial of over 40 opposition figures, transporting citizens back to the dark days before the revolution. Protests erupted in Tunisia's central city of Mezzouna on 14 April after three students were killed when a school wall collapsed. Mezzouna lies in the Sidi Bouzid region, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution that toppled the dictatorship of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and ignited the Arab Spring. The protests continued throughout the week. Shops and schools in the area shut down, while demonstrators burned tyres and chanted angrily against government neglect. Rather than engaging with residents or the victims' families, the authorities dispatched hundreds of security vehicles. Security forces used tear gas to disperse gatherings, including mourners paying tribute to their loved ones. Many were injured, with several transferred to nearby hospitals. Electricity was cut, telecommunications were restricted, and reporters were assaulted and prevented from covering the events. More than a day passed without any official acknowledgement of the tragedy or the mounting public outrage. When President Kais Saied finally gave a televised speech, he offered no sympathy - only astonishment that "the wall had withstood seismic tremors" in the past, while "fate had willed that it collapse at this time". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Instead of taking responsibility, he ordered the arrest of the school principal who had warned the authorities months earlier about the wall's deteriorating condition. No accountability Protests continued both in Mezzouna and in the capital, Tunis, where demonstrators were blocked from reaching the Ministry of the Interior. Despite dismantling all democratic safeguards, bending the judiciary to his will and jailing his critics, the paradise Saied promised has never materialised After days of blaming "provocateurs", "traitors" and fate, Saied visited the grief-stricken town at 4am (3am GMT), when few residents were present. Somehow, a few carefully selected individuals appeared to thank him and chant his praises. He again blamed "traitors" for the town's failing public services and claimed that "troublemakers" had been sent to provoke the security forces. Popular anger and widespread protests came after nearly four years of repression and zero accountability under Saied, who now controls all power. Protesters know that no minister, governor or representative holds real authority under the one-man regime he has built. Saied appoints and dismisses prime ministers and ministers at will and has severely repressed political parties, civil society and trade unions. Since he seized power in a coup in July 2021, he has blamed everyone but himself for the country's decline - the "dark decade" of democracy, corrupt businessmen, opposition politicians, foreign agents and a rotating cast of scapegoats. But this tactic is losing its effect. He may now be forced to face a population that once believed his populist promises. Despite dismantling all democratic safeguards, bending the judiciary to his will and jailing his critics, the paradise he promised has never materialised. Tunisians burn tyres and block a road in Mezzouna, Sidi Bouzi, on 15 April 2025, during a protest demanding justice after a school wall collapse killed three students (Saber Sboui/AFP) Instead, his dictatorship has only exacerbated the country's problems, with inflation and poverty reaching unprecedented levels. Yet, Saied's response to this growing realisation has been to double down on his populist narrative of blaming traitors and conspirators, while further relying on security forces and subservient sections of the judiciary to repress any criticism or challenge to his disastrous rule. Sham justice Last week's sham verdicts against 40 opponents for "conspiring against state security" have further illustrated the regime's desperation. Over 40 defendants were sentenced, many after spending over two years in pre-trial detention. My sister, an academic who has never been politically active nor had any contact with the other defendants, found herself added to the list and sentenced to 33 years in prison. The sole evidence presented by the state prosecution for the alleged "conspiracy against state security" consisted of WhatsApp messages and meetings with foreign journalists and diplomats. How Kais Saied's tyranny went from tragedy to farce Read More » With no trial in sight after years in detention, some of the defendants began a hunger strike, including Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, a leading member of the National Salvation Front, and Ennahda MP Said Ferjani. Sentences were handed down less than a minute after the hearing began, ranging from four to 66 years. Defendants were barred from attending their own trial, while journalists, observers and family members were turned away from the courtroom. Defence lawyers denounced the absurd conditions and blatant violations of legal procedure. To add a foreign twist to the plot, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy was included among the defendants and also sentenced to 33 years in prison. The lightest sentence - four years - was given to a man who had merely parked his car outside the home of opposition figure Khayam Turki, a person he had never met. Turki, a social-democrat politician, received the harshest sentence: 66 years. His crime? Organising meetings with other opposition figures to discuss how to unite their ranks and find a way out of Tunisia's political crisis after Saied's coup. Two days later, Ahmed Souab, a prominent former judge and member of the defence team, was arrested at his home for statements he made in court. Around 100 other opposition figures, journalists, activists and civil servants have also been charged under vague accusations in dozens of other cases. Among them is former Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, who has been held in pre-trial detention since December 2022. My father, Rached Ghannouchi, faces charges in more than a dozen separate legal cases. At the age of 83, he has already been sentenced to a total of 27 years in sham trials he refused to attend - fully aware that judicial decisions are pre-determined under Saied's orders. A country unravelling Saied appears to have no solution for the country's soaring debt, rising unemployment and rampant inflation. Many Tunisians are struggling to afford basic necessities, while the government itself faces unprecedented food shortages, power outages and water cuts. Under the current regime, Tunisia has recorded its lowest economic growth in a decade - apart from the first pandemic year of 2020 - amid dwindling external funding and rising domestic borrowing. As my father wrote from prison: 'The only solution lies in responsible freedom, inclusive justice and democracy based on equal rights for all' Economic collapse and political repression have deepened public despair, fuelling a brain drain that increased by 28 percent last year, as thousands of Tunisians leave in search of safety and dignity elsewhere. Yet, while European governments express concern over Saied's 2021 coup, they continue to back him despite his failure to address the very crises he exploited to justify his power grab. As my father wrote from prison on the second anniversary of his unjust detention: "The only solution lies in responsible freedom, inclusive justice, and democracy based on equal rights for all." The question now is whether Saied's indiscriminate repression will prompt the opposition to overcome their differences and political calculations to unite their ranks to restore democracy and bring Tunisia back from the brink of disaster. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
