Source: Amnesty International –
In response to the Tunis Court of Appeal upholding the convictions and prison sentences against 34 defendants to sentences from five to forty-five years in the politically motivated ‘conspiracy case’ on 27 November, Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said:
“The decision by the Tunis Court of Appeal to hold the unjust convictions in the so-called ‘conspiracy case’ is an appalling indictment of the Tunisian justice system. By validating the guilty verdicts following a sham trial based on unfounded charges against dozens of individuals, including prominent politicians, lawyers, and human rights defenders, the Appeals Court has deliberately ignored the litany of fair trial violations that have plagued this sham case from day one.
“The Court of Appeal has thereby also rubber stamped the government’s use of the justice system to eliminate political dissent. While three of the defendants were acquitted and a few sentences reduced, other sentences were increased – including for Jahouher Ben Mbarek, who has been on hunger strike for 31 days in protest against his arbitrary detention and wrongful trial, had his sentence increased from 18 to 20 years. The court’s decision affirms that participating in peaceful opposition remains a crime punishable by long-term imprisonment in Tunisia.
“The authorities have compromised the integrity of this trial from the outset through repeated violations of due process, including the courts’ unjustified decision to deprive detained defendants of their right to be present in the court room and insist on holding the trial remotely. Combined with the state’s continued targeting of lawyers representing defendants in the case, these actions expose a relentless campaign to erode rights and silence dissent.
“We are deeply alarmed that political activists Chaima Issa and Ahmed Nejib Chebbi and human rights defender Ayachi Hammami now face an imminent and arbitrary risk of arrest after the appeal court confirmed their convictions and sentenced them to 20, 12 and 5 years respectively.
“The Tunisian authorities must immediately quash the unjust convictions and sentences against all defendants in the ‘conspiracy case’. They must immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely for exercising their human rights and cease the relentless, politically motivated persecution of critics, opponents, and legal professionals. So long as the judiciary provides no check on government repression, it emboldens growing authoritarianism and a full-blown human rights crisis.”