A Tunisian court has handed down a 24-year prison sentence to Ali Larayedh, the country’s former prime minister, after finding him guilty of assisting jihadist fighters in their journey to Syria during the past ten years, according to state media reports released Friday.
Larayedh’s political party, the Islamic opposition group Ennahda, maintains that the prosecution is driven by political motives and represents part of a broader campaign against opposition voices since President Kais Saied consolidated power in 2021 by dismantling parliament and assuming rule through executive orders.
The convicted former leader held the prime minister’s office from 2013 through 2014, a chaotic time period that followed Tunisia’s 2011 uprising.
During Thursday’s court proceedings, Larayedh, who has remained in custody since 2022, declared to the judge: “I am innocent. I am being subjected to injustice, abuse and ingratitude.” Legal options remain available to him as he can challenge both the guilty verdict and the prison term.
In the years after the 2011 revolution, several hundred Tunisian citizens made their way to Syria, Iraq, and Libya to join forces with or fight for Islamic State organizations. Ennahda encountered harsh condemnation from secular political opponents who claimed the party enabled these departures while holding government positions, charges the organization has consistently rejected.
The legal proceedings against Larayedh encompassed seven additional defendants, including former Interior Ministry personnel.
According to TAP state news agency, which cited a court official, the prison sentences for all defendants varied from three years up to the maximum 24-year term.
