(Beirut, February 10, 2026) – Ahmed Souab, a Tunisian lawyer and human rights defender, sentenced to prison on terrorism-related charges, will be retried on appeal on February 12, 2026, Human Rights Watch announced today. The Tunisian authorities should immediately drop these unfounded accusations, release Ahmed Souab, and stop reprisals against people who criticize them, and against the lawyers who defend them.
Tunisian authorities prosecuted Ahmed Souab, 69, for statements he made outside of court while representing defendants in a notorious ” conspiracy against state security “. On October 31, 2025, an anti-terrorism court in Tunis sentenced to five years in prison and three years of administrative supervision. His trial lasted only a few minutes ; Ahmed Souab was absent and the journalists would have been prevented to attend.
« Ahmed Souab, lawyer, former administrative judge and fervent defender of the independence of justice, is imprisoned for the sole reason of his defense work and his outspokenness said Bassam Khawaja, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “ The abusive prosecutions to which he is subject for having defended other people against abusive prosecutions demonstrate the extent of the repression exercised by the Tunisian authorities against all forms of dissent.. »
Anti-terrorist agents have arrested Ahmed Souab at his home on 21 avrilfollowing declarations that he had made after the verdict rendered on 19 avril in a “ conspiracy case “. That day, 37 people, including lawyers, activists and opponents, were sentenced, after a mock trial, to prison terms ranging from 4 to 66 years for terrorism and security crimes.
In front of the headquarters of the Tunis bar, Ahmed Souab allegedly declared : « It seems that it is not the inmates who are threatened with knives, but rather the president of the bar who has a knife [sous la gorge]. » Video extracts of his statement circulated widely on social networks. His defense team explain that he was referring to the pressure put on judges.
Human Rights Watch has documented repeated attacks by authorities on the judiciary in Tunisia, including President Kais Saied’s dissolution of the Superior Council of the Judiciary in February 2022. These attacks have seriously undermined the rule of law, allowed the executive to exploit the judiciary for political purposes, and jeopardized Tunisians’ right to a fair trial, Human Rights Watch said.
The judicial authorities have indicted Ahmed Souab under the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2015, the Penal Code, the Telecommunications Code and Decree-Law 54 on Cybercrime, notably for allegedly having “ constituted a terrorist organization », « supported terrorist acts », « threatened to commit terrorist acts » et « spread false information “. It was maintained in pre-trial detention for more than six months before his trial.
The court decided to hold Ahmed Souab’s trial by videoconference, citing a ” real danger » without providing further details. Me Souab refused to attend remotely to protest against the lack of guarantees of a fair trial.
The Tunisian authorities have increasingly appeal videoconference trials in terrorism cases, particularly for politically motivated trials targeting dissidents. The practice of remote trial by videoconference is inherently abusive, in particular because it infringes on the right of detainees to be physically presented before a judge in order to assess their well-being, as well as the legality and conditions of their detention.
On October 31, Souab was found guilty of “ harm to the lives of persons entitled to protection, for having deliberately disclosed information likely to reveal their identity » and “ threats linked to a terrorist offense “, his family told Human Rights Watch.
Souab’s family said he had a history of heart problems and his health had deteriorated deteriorated in prison. He suffered several nosebleeds, the cause of which has not been determined, they said.
Over the past three years, authorities have increasingly used an aggressive legal arsenal, including unfounded accusations of security breaches and terrorism under the penal code and the 2015 anti-terrorism law, to target critics and lawyers through judicial harassment, abusive criminal prosecutions, arbitrary detentions and travel bans, for legitimately practicing their profession.
Tunisian authorities must stop prosecuting individuals who exercise their human rights, ensure fair trials, and release all those arbitrarily detained, according to Human Rights Watch.
THE United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of the Bar stipulate that lawyers must exercise their profession in complete independence, without undue interference from authorities, and explicitly prohibit any retaliation against them in the exercise of their functions.
Tunisia is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and assembly, a fair trial and protection against arbitrary arrest or detention.
« The trial of Ahmed Souab highlighted a series of breaches of the right to a fair trial, which are becoming commonplace in the prosecution of dissidents in Tunisia », concluded Bassam Khawaja. « The authorities should end their abusive prosecutions and interference in legal proceedings. »
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date: 2026-02-10 23:54:00