Tunisia begins trial of opposition figures on ‘conspiracy’ charges amid protests

TUNIS, Tunisia

The trial of around 40 opposition politicians accused of “conspiracy against state security” started in the capital Tunis on Tuesday amid protests by opposition activists and families of the defendants.

The trial began at the Tunis Court of First Instance, but the presiding judge briefly suspended proceedings after attendees raised slogans denouncing the trial and demanding that it be public, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The defendants’ defense lawyers demanded that the trial be conducted in public and in the physical presence of the accused, rather than remotely, as decided by the judiciary four days ago.

The trial session opened with the roll call of the accused, during which Ennahda leader Said Ferjani appeared on a screen from prison.

President Kais Saied accuses these opposition politicians of "conspiring against state security" and being responsible for commodity shortages and price hikes. However, the opposition accuses him of weaponizing the judiciary to target critics of the exceptional measures he imposed on July 25, 2021.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that has aggravated the country's economic conditions since 2021 when Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament.