Tunisia has opened a second mass trial against 22 prominent opposition figures, intensifying a political crackdown that has drawn global concern.
The proceedings, dubbed “Conspiracy Against State Security II,” began Tuesday, targeting high-profile figures including Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi, 83, already imprisoned in another case.
Former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and ex-presidential chief Nadia Akacha are also named in the case, according to court documents seen by local media.
Charges include terrorism-related offences, incitement to murder, and undermining internal state security, with most defendants being tried in absentia.
Defence lawyer Samir Dilou confirmed that many accused have fled Tunisia, highlighting what he calls a deeply flawed judicial process.
Ghannouchi, once parliament’s speaker, was sentenced in February to 22 years for plotting against the state in a separate trial.
He is accused alongside fellow Ennahdha officials of forming a clandestine security unit allegedly serving the now-embattled party.
Since President Kais Saied’s 2021 power grab, Tunisia has veered from its post-revolution democratic path toward increasingly authoritarian rule.
