Tunis / Adel al-Thabeti / Anadolu

The Tunis Court of Appeal sentenced the head of the Ennahda movement and former parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi to three years in prison in a case related to his receipt of the 'International Prize for the Dissemination of Gandhian Principles of Peace and Tolerance' and his donation of its value to the Tunisian Red Crescent.

Ghannouchi's defense team announced this in a statement published by the Ennahda movement on Facebook on Monday, without specifying the date of the verdict.

The defense team said in the statement that the criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal sentenced Ghannouchi to three years in prison, along with an unspecified fine, in a case linked to his receipt of the 'International Prize for the Dissemination of Gandhian Principles of Peace and Tolerance'.

The case is not about the prize itself, but rather about the manner in which its financial value was received and disposed of, according to the charges against Ghannouchi.

Anadolu's correspondent reported that the rulings of the Court of Appeal are final, and can only be challenged before the Court of Cassation (Appeals), but such appeal does not suspend enforcement.

The statement noted that this verdict is the second against Ghannouchi in less than four months, after he was sentenced last March to two years in prison and a fine in a related case concerning the same prize, saying, 'Thus, two cases have been generated from the same facts.'

The defense team continued: 'Thus, the total sentences related to the Gandhi Prize amount to five years in prison in less than four months.'

It explained that Ghannouchi received the prize in 2016, eight years before the public prosecution was initiated in 2024, and said that the case is considered time-barred, yet the court insisted on issuing a conviction in violation of Tunisian laws, according to the statement.

It said that the verdict in the first case was issued at the first hearing without any argument from the defense team, while the verdict in the second case was issued after only two hearings and also without argument, considering that this 'confirms the deliberate issuance of convictions in the shortest possible time.'

It considered that the verdict is marred by 'procedural defects, infringement on the right to defense, and lack of fair trial guarantees.'

It added that what Ghannouchi is undergoing 'reinforces the belief that he is not being tried for acts he committed, but for the principles he holds, and for the rights and freedoms he defends,' according to the statement.

It is noteworthy that Ghannouchi has been in detention since his arrest on April 17, 2023, after a raid on his home, before a court ordered his imprisonment in a case related to statements attributed to him, on charges of 'incitement against state security.'

Several prison sentences have also been handed down against Ghannouchi in various cases, while he insists on not attending trials, considering them politically motivated.

On more than one occasion, Tunisian President Kais Saied has affirmed that the judicial system in his country is independent, stressing that he does not interfere in its work.