Salaam - Tunisian lawyer sentenced to five years in controversial trial
Assalamu alaikum - A Tunisian court on Friday sentenced well-known lawyer Ahmed Souab to five years in prison on anti-terrorism charges, his defense attorney said. Yosr Hamid added that he was also given an extra three years of “administrative supervision” after a trial that reportedly lasted only seven minutes.
Hundreds of opposition figures, lawyers, journalists, union members and aid workers in Tunisia have faced prosecutions tied to accusations of “conspiracy” or to a decree criminalizing so-called “fake news.” Rights groups have warned that Decree Law 54 can be interpreted very broadly by some courts.
Souab was detained in April after he criticized the legal process in a major case involving around 40 prominent people, including opposition leaders. The 68-year-old former magistrate did not appear in person in court and refused to testify by video-link, according to his lawyer. Under those conditions his legal team declined to enter a plea.
He was charged under anti-terrorism laws and the presidential decree on false information. His defense called the outcome “a scandalous verdict after a seven-minute joke of a trial” and said it would seek annulment through all legal channels. They also urged civil society to reject manipulation of the justice system and to stand for judicial independence.
Hamid told AFP there were “no fundamental grounds for a fair trial” and warned that sentencing after such a brief hearing sets a troubling precedent. Souab’s brother, Mongi, said family members were kept out of the courtroom and criticized how quickly the case was handled.
Souab had been a leading defense lawyer in the larger “conspiracy” case and had publicly denounced the trial process. After only three hearings in that mega-trial, with no closing arguments or formal defense pleas, he accused authorities of intimidating the judge. A video from a rally shows him making a dramatic gesture as he spoke.
Many accused in the conspiracy trial received heavy sentences, some totaling decades. Appeals in that case are scheduled for November 17. Dozens of people protested outside the courthouse on Friday, holding his photo and chanting that the country is facing repression and tyranny. Several Tunisian and international NGOs have raised alarm over shrinking rights and freedoms since President Kais Saied consolidated power in 2021.
May Allah grant justice and ease for those wronged, and guide communities to uphold fairness and the rule of law.
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