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Tunisian police arrested opposition leader Najib Chebbi on Thursday to enforce a 12-year prison sentence in a case alleging conspiracy against state security, an action his family and supporters say is politically motivated.
Louay Chebbi, the son of Tunisia’s National Salvation Front leader Ahmed Najib Chebbi, accused the authorities of using the judiciary and security forces to intimidate the opposition.
He said the sentence issued against his father last week was “a political decision wrapped in a judicial veneer.”
Chebbi’s son told Al Jazeera that the family considers the trial a “judicial farce,” noting that the case file lacks any real evidence.
He explained that the charges against his father relate to conspiring against Tunisia’s internal and external security with the aim of changing the political system, yet no seized materials or evidence of the use of force exist. He stressed that “all that was found were two witness statements from individuals whose identities are unknown to us.”
Speaking about the political situation, he said Tunisia is experiencing “a counter-revolutionary phase,” adding that President Kais Saied “has never been a defender of citizens’ rights.”
He argued that Saied “exploits the social and economic conditions to rule unilaterally and imprison anyone who offers an alternative to his policies.”
He also said that “security tension around the family home began at the end of last week before escalating on Tuesday following the arrest of lawyer Alaya Al-Hamami.” He added, “On Thursday, police officers arrived and asked my father to come outside, then transferred him directly to Mornaguia Prison, where he has been held for two days.”
A Tunisian appeals court last week issued prison sentences of up to 45 years against opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers in the case known as “conspiring against state security,” rulings that have drawn domestic and international criticism.
The court reduced the initial sentence against Chebbi from 18 to 12 years, while increasing the penalties for opposition Salvation Front figure Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Republican Party Secretary-General Issam Chebbi and Democratic Current Secretary-General Ghazi Chaouachi from 18 to 20 years.
Detention fears come true
Chebbi had feared such a move, as Tunisian opposition leader Ahmed Najib Chebbi said security forces surrounded his home on Tuesday as authorities moved to detain him, following a series of severe prison sentences issued against political figures in a long-running “conspiracy against state security” case.
Chebbi accused the judiciary of submitting to political authority and said the case dates back to February 2023, adding that he remains optimistic despite rising social unrest across Tunisia.
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