In a statement published on Wednesday, Ennahdha said that the sentences handed down to several political figures, former government members, state employees, journalists, and bloggers in the so-called “Instalingo” case were “severe.” Some media professionals and journalists received over 20 years in prison, while the leader of the movement, Rached Ghannouchi—who had boycotted all trial proceedings—was condemned to 22 years, according to the statement.
Ennahdha underlined that these rulings “do not serve the country’s need for dialogue and national unity” to confront existing challenges and could “further deteriorate political and social life.” The movement emphasised that the Tunisian people, who led the revolution for freedom and dignity, “aspire to achieve reconciliation among its different components.”
The Second Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance delivered its ruling today in the “Instalingo” case, sentencing 41 defendants—including some in absentia—to prison terms ranging from 5 to 54 years, in addition to asset confiscations and financial penalties, according to lawyer Mokhtar Al-Jemai, as reported by TAP.
The defendants include security officers, bloggers, journalists, businessmen, and politicians, among them Ennahdha leader Rached Ghannouchi, former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, and former Chief of Staff to the President Nadia Akacha. They were charged with “conspiring against state security, altering the structure of the state, and attributing an offensive act to the President of the Republic” under Articles 61, 62 bis, and 67 of the Penal Code.