The Tunis Appeal Court decided on Monday to postpone the trial of Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahda Movement, until May 6 regarding the case related to glorifying terrorism and inciting hatred after eulogizing a leader of the Ennahda Movement in southern Tunisia.
The public prosecutor at the Primary Court in Tunis had referred Rached Ghannouchi to the division specializing in terrorism cases due to a complaint from a security unionist about the term “tyrants” used by Ghannouchi during a eulogy for a leader of the Ennahda Movement in southern Tunisia.
Ghannouchi was sentenced to a year in prison and a financial penalty. The public prosecutor appealed this sentence, and upon referring the case to the criminal chamber at the Tunis Appeal Court, the court decided to uphold Ghannouchi’s conviction with an increased prison sentence of 15 months and three years of administrative monitoring, along with the financial penalty.
Ghannouchi’s defense team filed for a cassation against the appellate judgment, and the Court of Cassation issued its decision to “annul and refer” the case, returning it to the Appeal Court to be reconsidered by a different panel from the one whose decision was contested.
Over the past couple of years, Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda Party, has faced significant legal and political challenges. In recent events, he was sentenced to three years in prison over accusations that his party received foreign contributions. This is part of a broader crackdown on opposition by the Tunisian President Kais Saied, who has been tightening his grip on power.
The crackdown includes multiple arrests of opposition figures, among them Ghannouchi, who was detained under charges that have raised concerns of political repression. His legal troubles began in earnest when he was sentenced in absentia to a year in prison on charges of incitement, stemming from remarks made at a party eulogy.
This has been part of a larger pattern of arrests targeting prominent opposition members, indicative of a growing authoritarian shift in Tunisia. President Saied has also rewritten the constitution to enhance his powers and suspended the parliament, leading to allegations of a coup.
