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Rached Ghannouchi and Ennahdha leaders sentenced for conspiracy against the state

The criminal chamber of the Tunis 1 Court of First Instance issued judgments on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, against twelve defendants, including Ennahdha movement president Rached Ghannouchi, several Ennahdha executives, and other activists close to the movement. The defendants were prosecuted for "conspiracy to undermine the form of the state and incite residents to attack each other" and "conspiracy against the internal security of the state." Rached Ghannouchi, along with movement leaders Youssef Nouri and Ahmed Mechergui, were among three detained defendants sentenced to twenty years in prison. Five other defendants, who are at large, also received twenty-year sentences with immediate execution. These include former student action official Mohamed Cheniba, former minister Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka, former deputy Maher Zid, blogger Mohamed Samti, and journalist Mokdad Mejri. Four other Ennahdha leaders, tried while at liberty, were sentenced to three years in prison for "conspiracy against the internal security of the state"; these are Belgacem Hassan, Mohamed Goumani, Abdallah Sghiri, and Mouaffak Bellah Kaabi. The charges stem from statements attributed to Rached Ghannouchi during a "moussamara" Ramadan evening organized in 2023 by the National Salvation Front, an event central to the case known as "El-Moussamara" or the discussion circle.