Tunisia Locks Up Another Rights Activist for 25 Years – Grift or Crackdown?
A Tunisian human rights activist has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Tunisian authorities have handed down a 25-year prison sentence to a prominent human rights activist and former head of the country’s Truth and Dignity Commission, Sihem Bensedrine, on charges including falsifying parts of the commission’s final report [183570][183548]. The verdict comes from the IVD, a truth commission established after the 2011 revolution, which has heard testimony from thousands of victims of past regimes [183570]. The case has drawn international attention to Tunisia’s ongoing struggle for justice and free expression [183570]. Separately, a Tunisian appeals court confirmed an eight-year prison sentence for anti-racism activist Saadia Mosbah on charges of financial misconduct related to the management of her non-profit organization [180949]. Both activists were once celebrated as key figures in Tunisia's post-Arab Spring reforms [183548].