Tunisian justice on Tuesday sentenced Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi to life imprisonment, accompanied by an additional 30-year prison term, in the high-profile “secret apparatus” case handled by the judicial counter-terrorism unit.
The specialized criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance for terrorism-related cases handed down heavy sentences ranging from 10 years in prison to life imprisonment against several officials and former cadres linked to the alleged secret organization associated with the Ennahdha movement. According to a judicial source cited by the official news agency TAP, the defendants were found guilty of charges including forming and joining a terrorist organization, providing expertise and technical support to a terrorist entity, and various other offenses under Tunisia’s stringent counter-terrorism legislation.
Among the main sentences delivered by the court, Mustapha Khedher received life imprisonment plus an additional 96 years in prison. Similarly, Ridha Barouni, Tahar Boubehri, Kamel Aïfi, and seven other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment with an additional 76 years. Fathi Beldi received a life sentence plus 50 years, while Abdelaziz Daghsni, Kamel Badoui, and Samir Hannachi were sentenced to additional terms of 37, 32, and 30 years respectively. Alongside Rached Ghannouchi’s life sentence plus 30 years, former Prime Minister and prominent Ennahdha figure Ali Larayedh received a 42-year prison sentence, while the remaining defendants were handed terms ranging from 10 to 48 years.
A total of 35 individuals were prosecuted in this landmark case, which originally opened in early 2022 following a complaint by the public prosecutor’s office and the defense collective of assassinated political figures Chokri Belaïd and Mohamed Brahmi. The plaintiffs in the case allege that Ennahdha’s “secret apparatus” was actively involved in clandestine activities, including widespread espionage operations and the systematic infiltration of public state institutions. The Ennahdha movement has consistently rejected all of these allegations, describing them as politically motivated fabrications. Initially investigated by the Ariana Court of First Instance, the case was transferred in September 2023 to the counter-terrorism judicial pole, and the court has now ordered all convicts to be placed under administrative control for five years following the completion of their sentences.
MK/AK/Sf/lb/abj/APA