TUNIS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Former Tunisian prime minister Ali Larayedh was sentenced on Friday to 24 years in prison on charges of facilitating Tunisian jihadists’ travel to Syria over the past decade, state media said.
His party, the Islamist opposition Ennahda, says the case is politically motivated and part of a crackdown on dissent following President Kais Saied's seizure of broad powers in 2021, when he dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree.
Larayedh served as prime minister from 2013 to 2014 during a turbulent period following Tunisia’s 2011 revolution.
Larayedh, who has been detained since 2022, told the court during Thursday’s hearing: "I am innocent. I am being subjected to injustice, abuse and ingratitude." He can appeal against both the conviction and the sentence.
Following the 2011 revolution, hundreds of Tunisians travelled to Syria, Iraq, and Libya to join or fight alongside Islamic State groups. Ennahda faced strong criticism from its secular rivals for allegedly facilitating their travel during its time in power, an accusation it has always strongly denied.
The case involving Larayedh included seven other defendants, among them former officials from the Interior Ministry.
TAP state news agency quoted a judicial official as saying that their sentences ranged from three years to 24 years.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara;Editing by Alison Williams)
