Tunisia arrests top opposition leader Nejib Chebbi in widening crackdown

Ahmed Nejib Chebbi is among dozens of authorities critics facing years-long situation presumption aft ‘sham trial’.

Tunisian constabulary person arrested apical absorption fig Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, his household says, arsenic a crackdown connected critics of President Kais Saied widens successful the North African country, erstwhile a beacon of fledgling ideology successful the years aft the Arab Spring.

Chebbi was arrested astatine his location connected Thursday, days aft helium was sentenced to 12 years for plotting against the authorities successful a proceedings denounced by quality rights groups arsenic politically motivated and a “sham”.

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The 81-year-old’s girl said successful a Facebook station that constabulary had taken him from their home.

His lawyer, Amine Bouker, besides confirmed the apprehension to the AFP quality agency, saying that Tunisia’s “political country has go frightening”.

Chebbi – the cofounder of the National Salvation Front (FSN), the country’s main absorption conjugation – is among several absorption figures, lawyers and rights advocates targeted for apprehension and prosecution successful caller weeks.

He has been 1 of the astir salient critics of Saied, who staged a sweeping powerfulness drawback successful 2021, much than a decennary aft Tunisia overthrew longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during the Arab Spring uprisings.

Rights groups person since criticised the president for overseeing a wide-reaching rollback connected freedoms.

Last week, dozens of opposition figures were sentenced to arsenic galore arsenic 45 years successful situation successful the alleged “conspiracy case”.

Ayachi Hammami, a rights activistic and lawyer, was arrested connected Tuesday, pursuing governmental fig Chaima Issa connected Saturday. They were handed 5 and 20 years successful prison, respectively, during the trial.

Days earlier his arrest, Chebbi denounced the verdict against him arsenic “unjust” and with “no ineligible basis” successful an interrogation with Al Jazeera Arabic.

Chebbi said helium and the different absorption figures who were swept up successful the crackdown had done thing wrong. He besides slammed the justness strategy successful the country.

“We don’t person judges,” helium said. “We person employees nether the bid of the governmental authorities, who are utilized to instrumentality revenge connected governmental opponents.”

Tunisian activists clasp a representation of jailed Tunisian absorption fig Jawhar Ben Mbarek during a protestation demanding his release, extracurricular the Billi situation successful Nabeul connected November 7, 2025 [Fethi Belaid/AFP]

‘Unjust convictions’

Amnesty International has denounced the lawsuit arsenic a “sham trial” plagued by a bid of quality rights violations.

“We are profoundly alarmed that governmental activists Chaima Issa and Ahmed Nejib Chebbi and quality rights defender Ayachi Hammami present look an imminent and arbitrary hazard of apprehension aft the entreaty tribunal confirmed their convictions,” Sara Hashash, Amnesty’s lawman determination manager for the Middle East and North Africa, said successful a statement past week.

“The Tunisian authorities indispensable instantly quash the unjust convictions and sentences against each defendants successful the ‘conspiracy case’,” she said, adding that detainees held “solely for exercising their quality rights” indispensable beryllium instantly released.

Last week, the European Parliament besides voted to impulse Tunisia to merchandise “all those detained for exercising their close to state of expression, including governmental prisoners and quality rights defenders”.

But Saied condemned the solution arsenic “blatant interference”, saying the European Union could “learn lessons from america connected rights and freedoms”.

In a statement aft past week’s sentences were handed down, the National Salvation Front – the conjugation Chebbi cofounded – accused the Tunisian authorities of conducting a “campaign of governmental ‘extermination’ against their governmental opponents”.

“The haste successful issuing the verdicts without interrogations oregon hearings proves the authorities’ fearfulness of exposing the fabrication and lies, and that the sole intent of the proceedings was to criminalize civilian governmental enactment and destruct governmental leaders known for their conflict and credibility from the arena of absorption governmental action,” the conjugation said.

It denounced the verdict arsenic “a transgression against justness and the country’s reputation”.