Tunisia hands prison terms to dozens of opposition figures

The defendants were accused of attempting a coup - but human rights groups say the trial was politically motivated.

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Forty people including opposition leader Jawahar Ben Mbarek were handed sentences ranging from four to 45 years over the alleged conspiracy to oust President Kais Saied.

Twenty of those charged have fled abroad and were sentenced in absentia, while others have been held in detention since 2023.

Human rights groups have criticised the trial as politically motivated, characterising the prosecutions as an escalation of Saied's crackdown on dissent since he suspended Tunisia's parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree.

Tunisian authorities argue the defendants, who include former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani, attemtpted to destabilise the country and topple Saied.