Tunis – The defense team for Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda Movement, issue a strongly worded statement refuting the legal grounds for the verdict against their client and several activists in the case known as the “Ramadan Evening Gathering,” including Ghannouchi himself.
Prison sentences in the Ramadan gossip issue
A judicial source revealed to the official Tunisian news agency the details of the sentences handed down to 12 defendants.
The criminal court sentenced three detainees-Rached Ghannouchi, Youssef Nouri,
and Ahmed Mcharki-to 20 years in prison on charges of “attempting to change the form of the state.”
Five fugitives were also sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison with immediate effect.
These included Rafik Bouchlaka, Maher Zaid, and Mokdad Majri.
The sentences also included three-year prison terms for four leaders who were at liberty:
Belkacem Hassan, Mohamed Koumani, Abdallah Sghiri, and Mouaffak Bellah Kaabi.
They were convicted of conspiring against the internal security of the state.
Procedural violations and falsification of evidence
In its statement, the defense team revealed a number of legal violations that marred the trial proceedings.
It noted that Ghannouchi boycotted the sessions in protest against his arrest in April 2023 without prior summons,
and the barring of his lawyers from attending his initial hearing for 48 hours.
The team asserted that the authorities applied counter-terrorism law procedures in a “non-terrorism” case.
It also stated that the video attributed to Ghannouchi, upon which the charges were based, was proven to be fabricated.
Furthermore, it pointed to the preemptive nature of the verdict, evidenced by leaked social media posts
announcing the prison sentence before the interrogation had even begun.
