05/06/2026
STANDPOINT NO. 115
Tunisia’s Judicial Liquidation of Dissent: Life Sentence for Sheikh Ghannouchi Condemned
The International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia notes with profound alarm a dangerous and unprecedented escalation in the judicial persecution of political opposition in Tunisia. In the latest move to definitively silence democratic voices, the Criminal Chamber specializing in terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance has handed down shocking prison sentences, including life imprisonment, to high-profile political figures, including the prominent democratic thinker and leader of the Ennahdha party, Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi.
This life sentence represents a malicious extension of the judicial manoeuvres utilized by the current regime to completely insulate itself from democratic accountability.
A Flawed and Politically Motivated Trial
We note that the "secret apparatus" case lacks any genuine legal or judicial legitimacy based on the following established facts:
• Ideological Origins: The case stems entirely from complaints by political rivals used for defamation, not from independent judicial or security investigations.
• Defiance of Legal Precedent: The primary defendant served his full sentence after his 2013 arrest. The independent judiciary at the time explicitly cleared the Ennahdha Party and its leaders of any connection to the case.
• Executive Overreach: Following the 2021 coup against the democratic process, Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi’s name was inserted into the investigation by direct request of the Ministry of Justice, signalling a total collapse of judicial independence.
• Absence of Due Process: The court conducted proceedings in complete secrecy, rejecting defence demands for a public trial. Furthermore, the charges relied heavily on the unverified, contradictory testimonies of hostile detainees seeking state pardons.
The weaponization of anti-terrorism laws to eliminate political rivals is a tragedy for the ummah and civilizational progress. Authoritarian overreach and rigged tribunals cannot mask the severe economic crisis, social deterioration, and daily hardships currently gripping Tunisian citizens. True national salvation requires a commitment to justice, dialogue, and the public interest (Maslahah).
There must be an immediate halt to these unjust trials, the unconditional release of Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi and all political prisoners of conscience, and an end to judicial charades designed to cover up the authorities' structural failures. The Tunisian authorities must shift their focus away from persecuting political opponents and toward solving the real socio-economic crises facing the Tunisian people.
Kuala Lumpur,
3 June 2026
