Ghannouchi Sentenced to Life in Prison — Eleven Others Receive Life Terms in "Secret Apparatus" Verdict

On Tuesday, June 3, the criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance delivered its verdict in the "secret apparatus" case. Rached Ghannouchi — the 84-year-old founder and leader of Ennahdha, former speaker of the dissolved parliament, and Tunisia's most prominent opposition figure — was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years on terrorism charges.

Eleven co-defendants — including former Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh — also received life sentences, with additional terms reaching up to 96 years. Thirteen others were sentenced to between 10 and 48 years. All 35 defendants were placed under five years of administrative monitoring. The court found them guilty of forming a terrorist alliance, espionage, and infiltrating state institutions.

Ghannouchi has been imprisoned since April 2023. He was already carrying a 20-year sentence from the "Ramadan soirée case" handed down in April 2026. This life sentence is added to that, and to further prior convictions — bringing his total accumulated sentences to over 106 years plus life. In April 2026, Ennahdha reported he had been urgently transferred to hospital following a sharp deterioration in his health. He has now been prosecuted in at least 11 separate cases. His lawyers say he will not appeal, citing the complete absence of fair trial guarantees.

The prosecution's case rested in part on the testimony of an anonymous "secret witness" — who later recanted most of his allegations. The defendants' own defense lawyers were themselves prosecuted. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have all documented the stripping of due process throughout the proceedings.

Morocco's Justice and Development Party (PJD) condemned the ruling as "shocking." The United States Embassy in Tunis issued no statement. The European Union issued no statement.

The Intelligence Chief Speaks — and the Army Warns It Is Being Dragged Into Politics

The Ghannouchi verdict did not arrive in a vacuum. On June 1 — 48 hours before the ruling — Kamel Guizani, the former Director General of Tunisia's intelligence services (served until 2023), gave a six-and-a-half-hour interview broadcast on Al Jazeera from exile. He is himself convicted in absentia to 68 years in the "conspiracy against the state" case.

On the central charge in the secret apparatus prosecution, he was unambiguous:

Ansar al-Charia is the jihadist organization accused of the 2013 assassinations of Chokri Belaïd and Mohamed Brahmi — the killings that form the factual foundation of the terrorism charges that just produced life sentences. Guizani ran the intelligence services through that period. He stated that no such link was found.

He also alleged that under Saied, telephone surveillance was conducted against politicians, journalists, civil society actors and businesspeople without judicial warrants, and for political rather than security purposes — describing Saied as possessing an "obsession with wanting to spy on everyone" that he opposed on legal grounds from 2019 onward.

Ten days before the interview, on May 21, Tunisia's Ministry of National Defense issued an unusual public statement asserting the army's neutrality amid what it called "repeated attempts to drag the military institution and its leadership into political disputes." The MoD's exact words: the National Army is "fully committed to neutrality" and will not be drawn into "competitive provocations." Tunisia's military has historically stayed entirely silent on political matters — analyst Bassam Bounenni described the statement as "striking" precisely because of that tradition. It arrived five days after large protests in Tunis against Saied's rule, and in the same environment in which Guizani was preparing to speak.

Al Khatt / Inkyfada Dissolution Adjourned Again — Next Hearing July 6

The June 1 court hearing on whether to dissolve Al Khatt — the association that publishes Inkyfada, Tunisia's leading investigative outlet and an ICIJ partner — resulted in a further adjournment. The case has been set for July 6, 2026, to allow completion of documentation in the dossier.

The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) confirmed the delay and called on the authorities to respect Tunisia's constitutional guarantees on press freedom and freedom of association. The dissolution request was filed by the executive office of the government. Inkyfada continues to publish.

As noted in Vol. 7, the case's significance extends beyond a single outlet: authorities are using Decree-Law 88 of 2011 — the post-revolution law designed to protect civil society — as the instrument of its destruction. July 6 is now the next critical date for independent media in Tunisia.

Banking Sector Strike; July Eurobond Deadline Approaches

The General Federation of Banks, Financial Institutions, and Insurance Companies (UGTT affiliate) announced a three-day general strike across Tunisia's banking and insurance sectors beginning June 2, over wage disputes and declining purchasing power. The sector had previously struck in November 2025. The new action lands at a sensitive moment: Tunisia's €750 million Eurobond matures in July 2026, the government is relying on exceptional Central Bank financing to cover its budget gap, and accumulated BCT debt now stands at 14 billion dinars. A banking shutdown — even briefly — adds friction to an already stressed system with no IMF program in place.

Tunisia Demands Renegotiation of EU Migration Deal

Tunisia has formally signaled its intention to renegotiate the July 2023 EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding — a €1 billion agreement under which Tunisia manages migration flows toward Italy and Malta. In a call with French President Macron, Saied described the deal as requiring revision to be "more balanced, fair and equitable." Tunisian officials argue the arrangement imposes border-control burdens without commensurate economic benefits or legal migration pathways for Tunisian workers.

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner is expected to visit Tunis for preliminary talks. Brussels is expected to resist major structural revision but may offer increased financial support. The EU's dependence on Tunisian cooperation — the Central Mediterranean route remains the deadliest in the world, with over 682 confirmed missing by mid-March alone — gives Saied considerable leverage. Critics note it also gives Brussels incentive to overlook the governance crackdown documented throughout this edition.

In Their Own Words

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