A Tunisian court has sentenced Sahbi Atig, a senior Ennahda party official, to 15 years in prison on money laundering charges, his lawyer said on Friday. The decision is the latest in a series of legal actions targeting political opponents of President Kais Saied.
Arrested in 2023, Atig is one of dozens of opposition figures to have been arrested since Saied assumed sweeping powers in 2021 by dissolving parliament and ruling by decree — a move critics have described as a coup.
The president claims his measures are aimed at combating corruption and holding Tunisia’s political elite accountable, while Atig and his legal team argue the charges are politically motivated. “This decision aims to silence the opposition and lacks credible evidence,” Atig’s lawyer, Mokthar Jmaayi, said. “This is part of a broader campaign to use the judiciary to suppress dissent and distract public opinion from pressing issues.”
Atig’s sentence, while significant, is shorter than others handed down in recent months. In April, several political leaders, lawyers and businessmen were sentenced to up to 66 years in prison on conspiracy charges.
Concerns about judicial independence have intensified since Tunisian President Saied dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed scores of judges in 2022. Despite growing criticism, Saied insists he has not meddled in judicial affairs and says his actions are part of efforts to cleanse the judiciary of corruption.
Many of Tunisia’s leading opposition figures are now in prison, including Aber Moussi of the Free Constitution Party and Rached Ghannouchi, both of whom are considered the president’s fiercest critics.