Tunis – The Court of Appeal in Tunis, the capital, upheld on Wednesday the initial ruling against the leader of the Ennahda movement and former Speaker of Parliament, Rached Ghannouchi (84 years old), sentencing him to 22 years in prison in the case known in the media as “Anstalingo”.
Sentences upheld and conditional release granted
A judicial source told the official Tunisian news agency that the court upheld the sentences issued last February against 41 defendants, including politicians, journalists, bloggers, and businessmen, with prison terms ranging from 5 to 54 years. The decision excluded the defendant Shatha Belhaj Mbarek, whose sentence was reduced from 5 years to 2 years with a suspended sentence. This means she will be released immediately unless she commits another crime during her sentence. Although these sentences are subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation, the appeal does not suspend the execution of the sentences.
The roots of the case and the accusations
The “Anstalingo” case involves a digital content creation company in the city of El Kalaa El Kebira, which was raided by authorities in September 2021 on suspicion of involvement in: conspiring against state security and attempting to change the form of the state; inciting citizens to armed conflict and instigating looting and murder; and committing a “heinous act” against the President of the Republic (a legal term referring to a serious attack on the office of the president or the prestige of the state). It is worth noting that Ghannouchi has been imprisoned since April 2023 and faces other sentences in separate cases. He and the other defendants deny all charges against them, considering them “politically motivated accusations.”
