A Tunisian court has issued harsh prison sentences against eight Tunisian figures, including former politicians and security officials, on charges of facilitating the travel of fighters to Syria to join opposition factions against the former Syrian regime. The case is locally known as the “travel networks” file.
Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) reported on Friday, February 27, that the Criminal Chamber specializing in terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of Appeal issued sentences ranging from three to 28 years in prison, citing a judicial source late Thursday.
According to the same source, those convicted include former Tunisian Prime Minister and Interior Minister, and deputy head of the Ennahda Movement, Ali Larayedh. They also include Abdelkarim al-Abidi, former head of the Aircraft Protection Unit, and Seifeddine Rais, the official spokesperson of the banned Ansar al-Sharia organization in Tunisia.
The case also involves Fathi al-Beldi, Noureddine Qandouz, Lotfi al-Hamami, Hichem al-Saadi, and Sami al-Shaar.
The heaviest sentence was handed to Tunisian politician Qandouz, who received 28 years in prison, while Larayedh was sentenced to 24 years.
The charges relate to “forming a terrorist agreement” inside Tunisia, or using Tunisian territory to commit “terrorist crimes” against a foreign country and its citizens. They also include assisting individuals in leaving Tunisian territory, legally or clandestinely, with the aim of committing “terrorist crimes,” or inciting such acts.
Larayedh the most prominent
An arrest warrant was issued against Larayedh on December 19, 2022, on charges linked to facilitating the travel of “jihadists” to Syria, accusations rejected by the Ennahda Movement, which has repeatedly denied any ties between its members and “terrorism.”
At the time, former Speaker of the Tunisian Parliament and current Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi rejected the detention order against his deputy and called for Larayedh’s release.
In a post on Twitter, Ghannouchi said neither his party nor its members were connected to the case file of sending “jihadists” to fight in Syria. He described the proceedings as a political attack against opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied, and said it was aimed at “covering up the disastrous failure in the legislative elections,” calling them a “farce.”
Other politicians affiliated with the Ennahda Movement, including Ghannouchi, remain under investigation in the same case.
What is the “travel networks” case
The case of “networks sending fighters to Syria” was active during the early years of the Syrian revolution against the former Syrian regime. Ennahda, which came to power after the 2011 elections that followed the Tunisian revolution, has denied any links to those networks.
Thousands of Tunisians traveled to fight alongside Islamist factions, some of which later transformed into more extremist organizations, including the Islamic State group.
Many Tunisians were killed in Syria, while others fled to different countries. Some later returned to Tunisia.
Responding to the accusations, Larayedh, who was prime minister at the time, said, “I was against this phenomenon and took measures to limit it,” adding that the case aims to divert public attention from rising prices, shortages of goods, and the country’s many problems.
Secular parties in Tunisia have accused Ennahda of being lenient toward hardline Islamists during its time in power after the revolution, and of encouraging young people in mosques and private gatherings to wage “jihad in Syria.” The party has consistently denied these allegations.
The case was opened on July 25, 2021, after President Kais Saied consolidated power in the country. Investigations also included two Ennahda members of parliament, Habib Ellouz, as well as Syphax Airlines director Mohamed Frikha, who is accused of involvement in transporting fighters to Syria through organized flights to Turkey.
In 2017, the Tunisian government estimated that around 3,000 Tunisians had traveled abroad to fight, most of them to Syria, while about 800 had returned to Tunisia at the time.
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