Tunisia: Court Rejects Opposition Lawyer's Release Amid Health Concerns

The appeal proceedings against jailed lawyer and former judge Ahmed Souab underscore how Tunisia’s judicial process has become a central arena in its political crisis since the 2021 power shift by Tunisian President Kais Saied.

Health Grounds Rejected

On 12 February 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeal opened hearings but rejected a request for provisional release on medical grounds and postponed the case to 23 February. Souab has been detained since April 2025.

He should not be in prison. He is a well-known man of law, who served for nearly 30 years as a judge before becoming a lawyer.

His Lawyer Fedi Snene

According to Front Line Defenders, Souab’s health deteriorated in El Mornaguia Prison. On 5 January 2026 he suffered a severe nosebleed around 10:00 AM and another at approximately 2:00 PM that caused loss of consciousness and required intervention by prison medical staff and senior administration officials. His son said doctors warned detention could worsen a prior heart condition after a 2022 heart attack.

Charges And Trial Speed

Souab, a former administrative court magistrate with nearly 30 years of judicial service, was sentenced on 31 October 2025 to 5 years in prison and 3 years of administrative supervision under anti-terror legislation dating to 7 August 2015 and a 2022 decree-law on false information.

The conviction followed a trial that lasted less than two minutes, according to his legal team. UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor said he was convicted on “baseless charges” and called for his “immediate release.”

Souab had accused authorities of putting “a knife to the throat of the judge who was to deliver the verdict” in a mass prosecution targeting government critics.

2021 Power Grab and Mass Trials

Since July 2021, when Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree, rights groups have warned of declining civil liberties.

Accordingly, in November 2025 an appeals court sentenced 40 opposition figures, business leaders and media personalities to between 5 and 45 years on charges including plotting against state security. Souab had been part of the defense team in that case.

Arrests are reportedly still going on. Human Rights Watch said last December that authorities arrested three prominent activists on conspiracy and terrorism charges, calling the arrests the latest step toward consolidating one-man rule. Authorities have not publicly responded within this briefing.

The appeal now centers on terrorism and false information provisions as well as judicial independence allegations raised by the defense. Lawyers’ “substantial medical file” requesting temporary release is pending judgment, while the court chose to maintain detention.

The next hearing is scheduled for 23 February 2026.