Tunisia: Court Upholds Unjust Conspiracy Convictions

What the report says

Human Rights Watch said Tunisia’s Court of Cassation upheld on September 3, 2026, the convictions and prison terms of 34 people in a case involving accusations of conspiracy against state security and terrorism-related offenses. The rights group said the individuals had been convicted in November 2025 after a trial it described as unjust, and that the final sentences ranged from 5 to 45 years. The court is Tunisia’s highest judicial body and was the last legal avenue available to challenge the verdicts.

According to the report published by AllAfrica from Human Rights Watch, the ruling leaves the affected defendants with no further domestic appeal. Human Rights Watch said the people are now either in prison or living in exile. The organization framed the decision as part of a wider pattern of pressure on Tunisia’s judiciary and restrictions on political dissent.

The case is significant because it involves long sentences in a high-profile national security proceeding and comes amid continuing concern from rights advocates about due process and the independence of the courts in Tunisia. More broadly, observers have said Tunisia has seen tighter control over opposition figures and critics in recent years, though the specific claims in this report are limited to the court outcome and Human Rights Watch’s criticism.