Former Tunisian minister and leader of the Islamist Ennahda sentenced to ten years in prison

MADRID 19 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

A Tunisian court this Friday sentenced the former Minister of Justice and leader of the Islamist party Ennahda, Noureddine Bhiri, to ten years in prison for an alleged publication on social networks for which he is accused of conspiring against the State, inciting disobedience civil and call for insurrection.

The verdict in the first instance declares the former minister guilty of the charges of “conspiracy against state security, incitement to civil disobedience and calling for insurrection”, based on a publication on social networks that his lawyer, the opposition Samir Dilou , has been reported as “untraceable”, according to the Kapitalis portal.

Since his arrest in February 2023, Bhiri’s defense has denied the allegations, stating that the publication attributed to the Ennhada member “has never existed” and calling the arrest an attack against opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied.

The Islamist formation has for months denounced the authoritarian drift of the president, who in May 2021 assumed all powers after dissolving the Government and suspending Parliament – headed by the leader of Ennahda, Rachid Ghanuchi -, which was later dissolved.

The opposition, mostly united around the National Salvation Front (FSN), has since denounced the increase in repression and has demanded Saied’s resignation, especially given the wave of arrests of opponents, activists and journalists and the low rates of arrests. participation in the constitutional referendum and the elections held since then in Tunisia.