Tunisia court upholds prison sentences of up to 45 years for opposition figures

Tunisia's Cassation Court on Thursday upheld prison sentences of up to 45 years imposed on opposition leaders, lawyers and businessmen on charges of conspiracy, their lawyers and families told Reuters. The opposition said the ruling, which is the final stage of the three-year legal proceedings and cannot be appealed, reinforces President Kais Saied's authoritarian rule. Forty people were charged with conspiring to overthrow the president in one of Tunisia's largest recent political prosecutions. Twenty fled abroad and were sentenced in absentia. "The ruling confirms that the judiciary is not independent," said lawyer Haifa Chebbi, daughter of prominent opposition figure and National Salvation Front leader Nejib Chebbi, who was sentenced to 12 years. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 02:09 "Opponents entered prison by political decision and will leave when Saied falls," she said. Saied has said the judiciary remains independent and that he would ...