TUNIS – A Tunisian court on Friday sentenced prominent lawyer and presidential critic Ahmed Souab to five years in prison, in a case his defense team and rights groups decry as a politically motivated effort to silence dissent against President Kais Saied.
Souab, a 68-year-old former administrative judge, was convicted by an anti-terrorism court in Tunis over a figurative comment he made about the judiciary. The swift one-day trial and harsh sentence have been condemned as a “precedent” for the lack of fair trial guarantees.
A “Figurative Phrase” Leads to Prison
The case stems from comments Souab made in April while acting as a defense lawyer in a high-profile “conspiracy against state security” trial targeting dozens of opposition figures. Criticizing the proceedings, Souab accused authorities of putting “a knife to the throat of the judge,” a phrase he intended to symbolize the immense political pressure on the judiciary.
While Souab’s defense argued the remark was a common symbolic expression, Tunisian authorities interpreted it as a direct threat. He was subsequently detained and charged under a presidential decree concerning “false information.”
“Five years in prison, for what? For a figurative phrase, a spontaneous expression that everyone understood as symbolic, except the authorities. Ahmed Souab is imprisoned in our place,” said his lawyer, Sami Ben Ghazi.
A Trial Condemned as Unjust
Friday’s hearing lasted only seven minutes before the judge retired to deliberate, according to reports. Souab was not permitted to appear in court in person and refused to testify via videolink. His legal team boycotted the plea process, protesting the conditions.
“There was a lack of fundamental grounds for a fair trial,” said another lawyer, Hamid, who noted that the sentencing after a one-day trial set “a precedent.” The proceedings lacked closing arguments or defense pleas.
Broad Crackdown on Dissent
Souab’s sentencing is the latest in a series of actions targeting critics of President Saied, who seized broad powers in 2021, dissolved parliament, and began ruling by decree. Opponents accuse him of dismantling judicial independence and rolling back democratic gains from the 2011 revolution.
In a parallel move on Friday, Tunisian authorities ordered a one-month suspension of the renowned independent media outlet Nawaat. The action is part of a widening crackdown on civil society, following similar suspensions this week of prominent NGOs like the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights and the Association of Democratic Women.
Authorities have cited audits of foreign funding as justification, but rights advocates say the real aim is to stifle critical voices.
The National Union of Tunisian Journalists condemned the suspension of Nawaat as “a dangerous escalation in efforts to muzzle independent journalism.”
Context of the “Conspiracy” Mega-Trial
Souab was arrested while defending clients in a case that has seen heavy prison sentences, some as long as 74 years, handed down to accused individuals. The case targets figures from the once-dominant Ennahdha party, including its leader Rached Ghannouchi and former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi.
An appeal in that “conspiracy” mega-trial is scheduled for November 17.
As the verdict was read on Friday, several dozen demonstrators gathered outside the court, brandishing photos of Souab and chanting that the country was “under repression and tyranny,” signaling growing alarm over what critics call Saied’s authoritarian rule.
