Tunis: A Tunisian court sentenced former prime minister Ali Laarayedh to 34 years in prison on terrorism charges for helping send jihadist fighters to Iraq and Syria, media reported. Laarayedh, 69, was leader of the Islamist party Ennahdha, which briefly governed Tunisia following a popular uprising in 2011 that launched the Arab Spring. He is a critic of President Kais Saied.

According to Nam News Network, Laarayedh was arrested in December 2022, accused of forming a terrorist group and assisting Tunisians in traveling to join jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, his lawyer Oussama Bouthelja said. Radio station Mosaiqe cited a judicial source stating that sentences for the eight defendants ranged from 18 to 36 years.

This case is part of a series of prosecutions targeting critics of Saied. In a recent trial, around 40 defendants received hefty sentences. The United Nations reported that approximately 5,500 Tunisians fought with jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, in Iraq, Syria, and Libya between 2011 and 2016.