The elderly woman clutched a faded photograph of her son as she waited outside the courthouse in Tunis.
Inside the sterile chamber typically reserved for violent extremism cases, 82-year-old Rached Ghannouchi was being sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of “conspiracy against state security”.
The scene marked yet another devastating blow for families caught in Tunisia’s widening judicial crackdown.
The 8 July 2025 verdicts in what has become known as the “State Security Conspiracy Case 2” delivered some of the harshest sentences in modern Tunisian judicial history.
Ghannouchi, the veteran leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement and former parliamentary speaker, was tried in absentia alongside other prominent figures, including his son Muadh and former officials.
For families of the accused, the verdicts represented personal catastrophes that have torn through daily life. Relatives who spoke on condition of anonymity described sleepless nights, children asking why their fathers cannot come home, and mounting legal fees threatening to bankrupt households.
“We keep telling the children that papa is travelling,” one family member whispered, her voice breaking as she explained the situation to young grandchildren.
The 82-year-old Ghannouchi, who spent decades in exile during the Ben Ali dictatorship only to return triumphantly after the 2011 revolution, now faces the prospect of spending his final years behind bars.
He has refused to appear before courts he considers politically manipulated, having already served prison sentences totalling more than 20 years on various charges.
Evidence concerns raise due process alarms
The path to these convictions stretched across more than a year of proceedings marked by controversy. The case began with investigations in February 2023, based on what authorities described as a “plan targeting state security” involving former politicians, officials, and activists.
However, the evidence-gathering process has raised serious due process concerns among legal experts and international observers. Defence attorney Samir Dilo made a stark assessment: “The issued sentences are based only on the statements of an unknown informant – and let’s put a thousand lines under the word ‘only’.”
Human Rights Watch, which has extensively documented Tunisia’s use of arbitrary detention, found that serious charges appear “unfounded and based on scant evidence”.
The organisation’s investigation revealed that evidence was “limited to two anonymous depositions by a ‘witness’ and an ‘informant,’ as well as private conversations on messaging apps between activists, foreign diplomats, journalists, and researchers”.
The reliance on anonymous sources and restricted access to evidence has created legal uncertainty extending far beyond the courtroom. Lawyers working on similar cases report feeling increasingly constrained in mounting effective defences, with some expressing private concerns about their own professional safety.
Systematic repression under Saied’s rule
These sentences emerge against the backdrop of Tunisia’s dramatic transformation since President Kais Saied’s power grab in July 2021. What began as exceptional measures has evolved into what critics describe as a systematic use of the judicial system to neutralise political opposition.
Human Rights Watch’s recent report “All Conspirators” documented how “Tunisia uses arbitrary detention to crush dissent,” finding that over 50 people were being held on political grounds as of January 2025.
The targeting of Ennahda represents a significant shift in Tunisia’s political landscape. The Islamist party emerged as one of Tunisia’s largest after the 2011 uprising and played a crucial role in the country’s democratic transition. But the current campaign extends beyond Ennahda to encompass critics across the political spectrum.
Amnesty International has documented the deteriorating human rights environment, expressing particular concern over Saied’s interference with the judiciary, including the 2022 dissolution of the High Judicial Council and dismissal of 57 judges.
In April 2025, a Tunis court sentenced 37 defendants to heavy prison terms of up to 66 years after just three court sessions, during which defendants were not heard or given a real opportunity to present their defence.
Economic crisis deepens social tensions
The political crackdown unfolds against a severe economic crisis that has left ordinary Tunisians struggling with daily hardships. Tunisia’s public debt reached about 80 percent of GDP in 2024, while inflation stood at 6.7 percent and food prices increased by 9.2 percent.
Unemployment has soared to above 15 percent, with youth unemployment reaching 39 percent. Some 17 percent of the population now lives below the poverty line, with rural areas facing even higher rates.
For many Tunisians juggling rising prices and diminishing opportunities, the political manoeuvring often feels disconnected from immediate struggles. Yet the erosion of democratic institutions has created uncertainty affecting business confidence, international relations, and the country’s ability to address pressing economic challenges.
Saied’s rejection of International Monetary Fund assistance, while popular among supporters fed up with external conditionality, has left Tunisia increasingly isolated. The country faces the risk of default as early as 2024 or 2025 without new funding sources.
Muted international response enables crackdown
The international response to Tunisia’s democratic backsliding has been notably restrained, particularly from European partners. The European Union has continued migration cooperation with Tunisia, building on a 2023 memorandum that increased funding to stem irregular migration to Europe.
Human Rights Watch criticised the EU’s approach, stating that European leaders have “been largely silent in the face of this escalating repression, focusing on cooperation on other issues like migration control” while failing to speak up against violations.
The muted international response has emboldened Tunisian authorities to intensify their crackdown, with critics arguing that monitoring without meaningful consequences has proven insufficient to deter further democratic backsliding.
As Ghannouchi’s case moves to appeals, the process will likely take months during which the families of the convicted will continue living in limbo.
For Tunisia’s remaining civil society organisations and opposition figures, the case serves as a stark reminder of how dramatically the political landscape has shifted since the Arab Spring.
The country that once served as a model for democratic transition now grapples with fundamental questions about the rule of law, judicial independence, and space for political dissent.
The continued prosecution of opposition figures has created a chilling effect on political discourse and civil society activity.
The ultimate resolution of this case may determine whether Tunisia can restore confidence in its judicial system or continue down a path toward greater authoritarianism.
For families waiting outside courthouses and activists still daring to speak out, the stakes could not be higher.
As Tunisia approaches what many observers see as a critical juncture, the question remains whether external pressure, economic necessity, or internal resistance might yet reverse the country’s authoritarian drift.
For now, in the sterile courtrooms of Tunis, the machinery of political justice continues to turn, leaving families to count the cost in sleepless nights and children’s unanswered questions.
This story was published in collaboration with Egab.
