Tunisia (AFP) - The Tunisian Court of Cassation on Thursday rejected the appeals submitted in the so-called “conspiracy against state security” case, in which severe penalties were imposed on more than forty people, including opposition figures and lawyers.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 21:31

Lawyer Haifa Al-Shabbi, the daughter of the veteran opposition figure imprisoned in the case, Ahmed Najib Al-Shabbi, told AFP, “The cassation court rejected the appeals, and thus upheld the rulings issued at the appeal stage.”

She added that the rulings issued in the appeal have become final.

For her part, the opposition Dalila Mosaddeq, the sister of the political activist Johar bin Mubarak, who was imprisoned in the case, said in a post on Facebook, “The human rights battle is over... and the political battle will begin now.”

Strong criticism was directed at the court session, which in Tunisia is called the Court of Cassation, as lawyers denounced the short period between the date of its announcement and the date of its holding, considering that this did not allow them to adequately prepare the defense file.

About twenty people gathered on Thursday morning in front of the court in support of the prisoners, raising banners demanding in particular the release of the historical oppositionist Ahmed Najib Chebbi (82 years old), the lawyer Ayachi Hammami, and the former leader of the Ennahdha Party, Abdelhamid Al-Jalasi, according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent.

In November 2025, the Tunisian Court of Appeal upheld the sentences issued against dozens of defendants, which amounted to 45 years in prison.

Among those imprisoned are former minister Ghazi Chaouachi, former official Reda Bel Hajj, and activist Shaima Issa.

Haifa Al-Shabi and other lawyers confirmed that they were informed of the cassation session only three days ago, noting that this did not give them sufficient time to prepare.

Al-Shabi added, "The whole case began in a strange way, with political motives and instructions from the Ministry of Justice."

Ezzedine Al-Hazqi, father of Johar bin Mubarak, who was present among the demonstrators in front of the court, said that he was “proud” that his son and other critics of President Kais Saied are in prison because they “defended their country.”

He continued, "We oppose (Saeed's) coup and all the forces that are obstructing Tunisia's progress," referring to the president's decision to monopolize powers in the country five years ago.

For its part, Amnesty International urged the Tunisian authorities to rescind sentences it described as “unjust” and release the detainees.

It also criticized what it considered “a mass trial marred by violations of due process,” and denounced prison conditions, where “recent successive heat waves have exacerbated detention conditions inside poorly ventilated cells.”

The head of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights, Bassam Trifi, said Thursday that twenty prisoners died in Tunisia during the past few weeks, which witnessed a severe heat wave that exacerbated the already difficult prison conditions.

© 2026 AFP

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