Amnesty International stated on Wednesday that a Tunisian appeals court upheld and in fact lengthened prison sentences for Ennahda party leaders in the “Conspiracy against State Security 2” case.

Amnesty International emphasized that this verdict, which was handed down on Monday, demonstrates the continued use of the judiciary to crack down on the country’s political opposition. The rights group denounced the ruling and called on the Tunisian authorities to quash the unjustified convictions.

The court convicted at least 20 defendants, and imposed prison sentences that ranged from three to 35 years. The court also intensified the prison sentence of Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old former speaker of the Tunisian Parliament and current leader of the Ennahda Party. His new sentence is 20 years instead of the original 14 years. Ghannouchi now faces a total of 56 years of imprisonment in different cases since his arrest in April 2023.

The court also upheld the 35-year sentences of several officials and members of the Ennahda Party in absentia, such as the former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani, the former foreign minister Rafik Abdessalem, Lotfi Zitoun, and Mouadh Ghannouchi.

Tunisia’s state news agency TAP said the Criminal Chamber, which handles terrorism cases, handed down the sentences late Monday night and also included a measure of administrative supervision, which can last five years after the prison sentences are served, against some of the defendants. According to TAP, some of the sentences were increased, and others were reduced, and arrest warrants had been issued against some of the defendants, who had fled the country.

It is the latest in a series of mass prosecutions against President Kais Saied’s opponents since he dissolved the Tunisian Parliament in March 2022. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Tunisian authorities have increasingly resorted to arbitrary detention and sweeping conspiracy and state security charges to silence dissent against President Saied, who consolidated power in July 2021.

HRW emphasized that Tunisian authorities have stepped up arbitrary arrests and detentions against voices perceived as critical of the government since early 2023, targeting opponents from across the political spectrum, including lawyers, judges, activists, human rights defenders, journalists, social media users, and even family members of critics. “The mere exercise of freedom of expression or political activities have become subject to punishment,” HRW stated. Over 50 people were being held on political grounds or for exercising their rights as of January 2025.