Hundreds of Years in Prison: What Lies Behind Kais Said's Escalation in Oppressing Tunisian Opposition?

After Tunisian President Kais Said arrested dozens of opposition figures in February 2023 and threatened to prosecute the judges if they acquitted them, the sentences that followed were predictable.

However, the harshness and irrationality of the verdicts—ranging from 13 to 66 years, amounting to a combined total of 892 years—coupled with the fact that they were issued without defense or the presence of the defendants, who refused to be tried online, revealed that Said had decided to press ahead with his plan to eliminate the opposition and its parties.

These sentences were part of a wider campaign to suppress opposition and establish a single-party rule, as opposition leaders have described it. The individuals sentenced were the leaders of political parties and prominent politicians.

As a result of this policy, many political party leaders in Tunisia now languish in prison, including Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the Ennahda Movement, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party.

The sentences handed down on April 19, 2025, marked the latest step in a series of actions that President Kais Said has taken to tighten his grip on Tunisia's democracy, once the cradle of the Arab Spring. 

These charges were widely seen as fabricated, with no evidence to back them, according to opposition figures.

Thus, the case was framed as one of "conspiracy against state security," with harsh sentences unprecedented in Tunisia. 

This sent a clear signal of Said’s determination to diminish democracy entirely in Tunisia, pushing the country further toward an autocratic dictatorship.

The judges loyal to him issued harsh sentences after Said had warned them early in 2023 that anyone who acquitted his opponents would also be considered complicit and would face trial alongside them.

The severity, irrationality, and illegitimacy of these rulings have led Tunisian, Arab, and international analysts to ask: Do these sentences signal a looming crisis, suggesting that Kais Said’s regime has become a burden on Tunisia, one that must be swiftly dismantled through a new revolution?

What are the implications of these rulings and the expectations that follow? Said is gradually clearing the political stage, imprisoning and fabricating charges against his opponents—be they politicians or journalists—on a regular basis.

The sentences, ranging from 13 to 66 years, were passed to around 40 opposition figures, including Islamists and members of other rival parties. Half of those sentenced are behind bars, while the other half are in exile.

Prominent opposition figures, lawyers, and businessmen were sentenced on trumped-up charges such as "conspiring against national and international security" and “forming a terrorist network linked to criminal activities and joining it.”

Why Arrested and Sentenced?

Opposition politicians, critical of President Said's dictatorial trajectory, were arrested and subjected to sham trials when some attempted to launch initiatives aimed at uniting their fractured forces and countering the democratic regression that began with his coup against democracy in 2019.

In response, Said and his security forces launched a wave of arrests in February 2023, targeting around 20 individuals, including politicians, businessmen, and journalists from the Ennahda Movement, the Salvation Front, the Republican Party, as well as figures like the director of Mosaïque radio, Noureddine Boutar, among others.

They were charged with offenses such as "attempting to undermine public order and destabilize state security," "spying for foreign entities," and "inciting chaos or rebellion."

Said did not wait for their trial to commence; instead, he sentenced them on the spot, accusing them of "conspiring against the state" in his own image, branding them as "traitors and collaborators," and threatening that "judges who acquit them will be accomplices."

In 2019, when the dictator Said was a presidential candidate, he gave an interview in which he spoke about how, if he won the presidency, he would "eliminate legislative elections," despite coming to power through the ballot box.

"Parliamentary democracy in Western countries is bankrupt, and its time has passed. Political parties are destined to become extinct. Their era is over, and in just a few years, their role will be finished, and political pluralism will disappear," Said noted.

It was clear that this was Said's electoral agenda, and he wasted no time in implementing it. He quickly suffocated Tunisia's pioneering democratic experiment, the cradle of the Arab Spring, and began tightening his grip on political parties. 

He arrested their leaders and fabricated charges against them, paving the way for the elimination of democracy and opposition.

892 Years in Prison!

The defense team representing those accused in Tunisia’s "conspiracy against state security" case revealed that the total sentences ruled against their defendants amounted to 892 years, describing the verdicts as an unusual judicial precedent. 

They argued that the trials were based on "anonymous testimonies" and lacked the guarantees of a fair trial.

The sentences affected 40 individuals, including businessmen, lawyers, journalists, and prominent politicians, with notable figures such as Kamel Letaief (66 years), Noureddine Bhiri (43 years), and Khayam Turki (48 years) among those convicted.

Among those sentenced were former presidential office chief Rached Belhaj, Secretary-General of the Republican Party Issam Chebbi, former minister Ghazi Chaouachi, and prominent figures within the opposition coalition Front of National Salvation. 

The case has been described as having a political nature and is seen as an attempt to eliminate political rivals.

The most severe and notable verdicts were handed down to Kamel Letaief, a powerful Tunisian businessman often referred to as the "kingmaker." 

He was sentenced to 66 years in prison by courts under Kais Said's regime, with rumors circulating that his office functions as the "political kitchen" of Tunisia.

Tunisians often claim that Letaief was the key figure behind the appointment of the late President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali to his various positions. 

On social media, many assert that he continues to wield influence, managing a shadow government that has ruled Tunisia since the 2011 revolution through his wealth and connections.

On May 5, 2011, Farhat Rajhi, the former interior minister in Tunisia’s transitional government, confirmed that the military would stage a coup if the Islamist Ennahda Movement won the elections, according to Agence France-Presse.

Rajhi accused then-interim Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi of lying and accused businessman Kamel Letaief of leading a shadow government that currently runs the country and seeks to restore the former Ben Ali regime's party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD), to power.

In a remarkable twist, the trial—essentially aimed at imprisoning the leaders of opposition parties to President Said's dictatorship—also sentenced the French-Jewish provocateur Bernard-Henri Levy to 33 years in prison, despite the fact that he was not even in Tunisia. The majority of those detained received the same harsh sentence.

Bernard-Henri Levy, a controversial French-Jewish academic, media figure, and politician, is known for his close ties with powerful French elites and his theory of "war for change." 

His critics refer to him as the "Godfather of revolutions" or "Godfather of chaos," given his frequent appearances in capitals across the Arab Spring region—where, shortly after his visits, the countries often experienced either coups or counter-revolutions. 

He has been spotted in Tahrir Square in Egypt, as well as in Libya, Syria, Kurdistan, Yemen, and Afghanistan, among others. It is often speculated that he serves as an instrument of French intelligence.

Despite being dubbed the "Godfather of the Arab Spring," Bernard-Henri Levy's movements suggest that he may in fact be a covert representative of French and Western intelligence, playing a hidden role in achieving objectives that Western military power has failed to accomplish through force.

Many Tunisians believe that placing the names of Bernard-Henri Levy and Kamel Letaief—two individuals, one of whom is outside of Tunisia—together signals an attempt by Said's authorities to muddy the waters and imply that there is, in fact, a "conspiracy" at play, drawing on the historical context of both men's involvement in covert operations.

However, they believe the true target is the leaders of the Islamist Ennahda Movement and other political parties opposed to Said's dictatorship. 

These individuals received the harshest sentences, such as Noureddine Bhiri (43 years in prison), while others were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 13 to 33 years.

Among the convicted is former presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel, who was removed from the political scene by Said. 

In early October 2024, a Tunisian court sentenced him to 12 years in prison on charges of forging popular petitions, just hours before his name was included on the presidential candidate list.

The authorities and the court claimed that "the defendants attempted to destabilize the country, incite chaos, and overthrow the system." 

However, the opposition has strongly rejected these allegations, asserting that "the charges are fabricated and are being used to silence critics and entrench an authoritarian, one-man rule," according to a report by Reuters on April 19, 2025.

Under Tunisia's Code of Criminal Procedure, the defendants have the right to appeal the sentences imposed on them.

State’s or Said's Security?

Among the 40 prominent defendants in the case are key figures such as Noureddine Bhiri, a leader of the Ennahda Islamic Movement; former presidential office chief Ridha Belhaj; the Secretary-General of the Republican Party, Issam Chebbi; and former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani.

Also included are former minister Ghazi Chaouachi, along with other former officials and prominent names linked to the National Salvation Front, a coalition of leading opposition figures.

What is even more troubling is that the defendants were sentenced in absentia, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the verdicts. 

They were absent because President Said's authorities declared that the trial would take place online, a condition rejected by these more cautious opposition figures. 

Moreover, journalists were barred from covering the trial, yet the sentences were still passed.

Due to the denial of all defendants' right to appear in person since the trial began on March 4, 2025, six of the detained political figures went on a hunger strike in protest against being deprived of this "fundamental right."

This came after the court requested the defendants to testify "remotely," including the Secretary-General of the Republican Party, Issam Chebbi, and the former Secretary-General of the Democratic Current Party, Ghazi Chaouachi.

As a result, Tunisian human rights organizations have described the trial as a clear indication of President Said's total control over the judiciary, following his suspension of the democratically elected parliament in 2021, and its subsequent dissolution in March 2022.

He also dissolved the independent High Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges in 2022, according to Reuters.

Imad Daimi, head of the Raqabah Observatory for Human Rights and Corruption Monitoring, stated that what transpired "was not a trial." 

He described the day the verdicts were issued as “a day when justice donned the mask of criminality, transforming into a tool of vengeance.”

Lawyer Ahmed Sawab said, "In my entire life, I have never witnessed such a trial. It is a farce, the verdicts were ready, and what is happening is a scandal and a disgrace." This sentiment was echoed by other lawyers outside the courtroom in videos that spread across social media.

The Tunisian Ennahda Movement condemned the "harsh" sentences handed down to 40 opposition figures, ranging from 13 to 66 years in prison, despite the absence of clear evidence against the defendants. 

The movement described it as a "blatant conspiracy by the authorities against the opposition."

It was described as an attempt to "execute the constitutional right to opposition."

Samia Ghannouchi, whose father was sentenced to 22 years in prison in February 2025 as part of the first trials in this case, said, "The conspiracy file began with a small group of figures, but then expanded to include various names thrown into its depths."

"In the final stages of the case, figures from the Ennahda Movement were dragged in, including former Minister of Justice and MP al-Ferjani, as well as my older sister Tasneem, a university professor with no political ties."

Samia, whose father, Rached Ghannouchi (84), has been imprisoned in Tunisia for two years, added, "My father recognized from the outset the reality of this pathetic coup and the absurdity of these judicial trials. That’s why he refused to be part of this ridiculous charade."

"His lawyers tell us that whenever they informed him of the developments in these cases, he laughed cynically at this 'Mexican soap opera,' as she put it," she said.

In a statement issued on April 17, 2025, Amnesty International described what is known as the "conspiracy against state security" case, stating, "A conspiracy case? The charge is present, but the evidence is absent."

The organization condemned what it deemed "a clear violation of guarantees for a fair trial and the right to defense, “criticizing" the imprisonment of activists and opposition figures without any clear legal basis and in the complete absence of credible evidence."

Decree No. 54

Political forces and movements argue that one of the most dangerous actions taken by President Kais Said, with the backing of security and military institutions, the deep state, and the support of Western powers and Gulf regimes opposed to the Arab Spring, is shackling Tunisia with presidential decrees after the constitution and parliament were abolished.

They believe that one of the most perilous of these decrees is Decree No. 54, which targets opposition politicians, the media, and freedom of expression. As a result, journalists, media owners, and politicians have been imprisoned.

President Said suspended the work of parliament following his election in 2019, and manipulated the 2024 elections to secure a second term with a landslide victory, after imprisoning opponents and potential rivals.

Human rights groups have long accused Said of dismantling judicial independence since he dissolved parliament in 2021, opting to rule by decree. 

He also disbanded the independent Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges the following year.

When Tunisian courts sentenced politicians, journalists, and media figures critical of Said, it was claimed that the decree was the driving force behind these prosecutions.

The legal actions against Said's opponents were based on Decree 54, issued by the president in 2022, ostensibly aimed at "combating crimes related to information and communication systems." However, in practice, it became a tool for charging any politician or journalist who dared to oppose his regime.

Despite multiple human rights organizations describing the decree as a violation of the right to privacy and imposing harsh penalties for vaguely defined and ambiguous crimes related to expression, the cases continued to flood the courts.

Within a year, over 60 individuals—including journalists, lawyers, and opponents of President Said—were prosecuted under this decree, according to the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists.

According to statistics from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, more than 70 individuals, including political rivals, lawyers, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and social media users, have faced "arbitrary prosecutions since the end of 2022."

Many critics, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have accused Said's government of using decrees and the judiciary to suppress opposition since 2021, when he dissolved the parliament and expanded executive power.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, the Director of Research, Advocacy, and Campaigns at Amnesty International, described the recent trial and the sentences of up to 66 years as " a blatant disregard of minimum defence rights and was based on unsubstantiated charges."

"These individuals have been convicted solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, as reported by the Middle East Eye on April 19, 2025.

"The deterioration of judicial independence in Tunisia is deeply concerning and the executive authorities' increasing abuse of the justice system and interference in the administration of justice fundamentally undermines the fair trial rights of defendants and the rule of law," Erika Guevara-Rosas noted.