A Tunisian court has sentenced former Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh to 34 years in prison for terrorism charges.
He was charged with setting up a terrorist cell and helping young Tunisians travel abroad to join Islamist fighters in Iraq and Syria.
The 69-year-old, however, denied all terrorism-related allegations, describing it as a politically motivated prosecution.
“I was neither sympathetic, nor complicit, nor neutral, nor lenient towards violence, terrorism,” Larayedh told the court on Friday.
Larayedh, who served as prime minister from 2013 to 2014, has been in detention since 2022. He is the latest prominent critic of President Kais Saied to be jailed alongside eight other individuals.
The former prime minister is the leader of Ennadha, a moderate Islamist party that holds the largest representation in parliament.
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At least 40 critics of Tunisia’s president have been sent to prison in recent weeks.
Since he was first elected six years ago, the former law professor has been ruling by decree after dissolving parliament in 2021.
Saied has also rewritten the constitution to enhance his powers and bolster his authoritarian control over Tunisia.
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