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France Says Tunisian Political Dissidents Did Not Receive Fair Trial

Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
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France Says Tunisian Political Dissidents Did Not Receive Fair Trial

Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo
Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi/File Photo

France criticized the lengthy sentences handed down by a Tunisian court against opposition leaders and businessmen on conspiracy charges on the weekend, saying the conditions for a fair trial were not met.

The comments by France, the first country to speak out on the trial, came amid growing criticism of the government of President Kais Saied over its crackdown on dissent.

Rights groups said the mass conviction of dissidents is a disturbing indication of the authorities' willingness to go ahead with its crackdown on peaceful dissent.

Tunisia's opposition has said the trial was fabricated and aimed at silencing critical voices and consolidating the authoritarian rule.

"We learned with concern of the harsh sentences...against several individuals accused of conspiring against state security, including French nationals," the French Foreign Ministry said, Reuters reported.
"We regret the failure to respect fair trial conditions," it added. Journalists, diplomats, and civil society were barred from attending the trial.

The trial highlights Saied's full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He also dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges in 2022.

Forty people were prosecuted in the trial, which started in March. More than 20 have fled abroad since being charged.

Lawyers said the maximum sentence was 66 years for businessman Kamel Ltaif, while opposition politician Khyam Turki received a 48-year sentence.

The court also sentenced prominent opposition figures including Ghazi Chaouachi, Issam Chebbi, Jawahar Ben Mbrak and Ridha Belhaj to 18 years in prison. They have been in custody since being detained in 2023.

Saied said in 2023 that the politicians were "traitors and terrorists" and that judges who would acquit them were their accomplices.

The opposition leaders involved in the case rejected the charges and said they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting the fragmented opposition to face the democratic setback in the cradle of the Arab Spring uprisings.

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Arab World

Tunisian President Blames Profiteering Networks for Rising Prices

Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
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Tunisian President Blames Profiteering Networks for Rising Prices

Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)
Tunisians visit a livestock market as they prepare for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of Sacrifice in the Ariana district near Tunis on May 25, 2026.(Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

Tunisia's presidency has blamed profiteering networks for the sharp rise in prices, which has become more acute ahead of Eid al-Adha.

Tunisians are facing mounting pressure from high sacrificial animal prices this year, despite a rainy season that ended five consecutive years of drought.

Markets are also witnessing an unusual increase in fruit and vegetable prices, prompting protests earlier this month over the rising cost of living and the erosion of purchasing power among broad segments of the population.

In a video published on its official Facebook page following a meeting between Tunisian President Kais Saied and security officials, the presidency said security forces had dismantled profiteering and hoarding networks in several regions of the country that had deliberately driven up prices "in an attempt to harm producers and consumers alike."

It added that this approach "represents a consistent state policy that will continue without hesitation until this criminal and outrageous rise in prices is completely eliminated."

Despite the security campaigns, prices in markets remained elevated on the eve of Eid al-Adha, including red meat prices, according to observations by a correspondent for the German Press Agency (dpa).

Tunisia's inflation rate stood at 5.5 percent in April, according to the latest official update, marking its highest level in about a year, and is expected to rise further this month.

The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) had earlier warned of deteriorating purchasing power among Tunisians because of rising prices and the absence of effective policies for price monitoring and regulation.

Arab World

Israel Military Issues Evacuation Warning for Lebanese City of Nabatieh

Emergency workers look to recover equipment from a civil defense center damaged in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Abbas Fakih / AFP)
Emergency workers look to recover equipment from a civil defense center damaged in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Abbas Fakih / AFP)
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Israel Military Issues Evacuation Warning for Lebanese City of Nabatieh

Emergency workers look to recover equipment from a civil defense center damaged in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Abbas Fakih / AFP)
Emergency workers look to recover equipment from a civil defense center damaged in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Abbas Fakih / AFP)

The Israeli military for the first time warned residents of the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh to immediately evacuate on Tuesday ahead of expected strikes, while Hezbollah said it confronted Israeli troops in a nearby town.

The day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to intensify attacks on Hezbollah to "crush" the Tehran-backed group.

"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move north of the Zahrani River. Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, facilities or military equipment is putting their life at risk!" the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, posted on X, AFP reported.

Largely deserted since the start of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2, Nabatieh has faced relentless strikes despite an April 17 truce.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) also reported several Israeli strikes across the south.

Evacuation warnings near the southern city of Tyre on Monday caused mass panic and an exodus of residents of the historic city, according to an AFP correspondent.

Strikes also hit the town of Mashghara in the east, according to the NNA.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had bombed more than 100 Hezbollah targets overnight.

Hezbollah meanwhile said in a statement that its fighters repelled an Israeli force early Tuesday that had advanced toward Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, which overlooks Nabatieh, following airstrikes and heavy artillery fire.

The group said it used drones and was fighting with Israeli soldiers in the town.

Netanyahu had last night ordered "an even greater acceleration of our operations" against Hezbollah.

"It is true that they are attacking us with drones, including fibre-optic drones, but we have teams working on countermeasures and we will solve this issue... We will intensify our blows, increase our firepower, and we will crush them."

Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the ongoing truce, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, while the latter has claimed several attacks on Israeli positions in southern Lebanon and Northern Israel.

More than 3,100 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since March 2, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Arab World

12 Dead in Israeli Strike on East Lebanon Village, as Israel Calls Up More Troops

Lebanese civil defense workers search through the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike at dawn in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Lebanese civil defense workers search through the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike at dawn in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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12 Dead in Israeli Strike on East Lebanon Village, as Israel Calls Up More Troops

Lebanese civil defense workers search through the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike at dawn in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Lebanese civil defense workers search through the rubble of a building following an Israeli strike at dawn in the southern Lebanese area of al-Hosh, near the coastal city of Tyre on May 26, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

An Israeli airstrike on a village in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley killed 12 people, state media said Tuesday, as an Israeli official said the military had called up more troops to Lebanon.

The strike hit the village of Mashghara late Monday, according to the state-run National News Agency.

It came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had authorized more intensive strikes targeting Hezbollah across Lebanon. The Israeli military said Monday that it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in eastern Lebanon.

An Israeli security official said the military had called up an additional battalion to Lebanon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, The Associated Press reported.

Rescue workers say that a dozen bodies were pulled out of the rubble following an intense wave of overnight strikes targeting swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon.

The intensified attacks come three days before Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are set to meet in Washington for direct talks.

Hezbollah is attacking Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israeli towns, and has vowed to continue fighting until Israel stops its daily airstrikes and withdraws its troops from the country.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah has boasted that it is using new fiber-optic drones that Israeli troops have struggled to intercept, hitting both Israeli troops and northern border villages.

Israel has updated its defensive guidelines in line with the recent developments in its northern areas, telling people not to gather in large numbers.

“What this requires of us now is to increase the blows, to increase the intensity. We will smite them hip and thigh,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media Monday ahead of the strikes.

Hezbollah said it staged several attacks Monday on three barracks and a military post in northern Israel "in response to the violation of the ceasefire" by Israel.

The group claimed responsibility for at least four drone attacks on the Shomera barracks, as well as attacks on two barracks in towns in northern Israel, and another on a military post in Misgav Am, carried out around midday at short intervals.