Sihem Bensedrine, a leading Tunisian human rights activist, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges including falsifying part of the final report of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), where she served as president. The 75-year-old, who was arrested in August 2024 and held in pre-trial detention for over six months, called the verdict an act of political retribution by a regime intent on erasing the legacy of the IVD. She told AFP the ruling had "nothing to do with justice" and accused officials of targeting her to discredit the commission's work and settle personal scores. The IVD, established after the 2011 revolution that ousted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, documented abuses under both his rule and that of predecessor Habib Bourguiba. Its 2020 final report urged the dismantling of entrenched systems of corruption, repression, and dictatorship. Prosecutors alleged Bensedrine falsified sections of that report, though no further details on the alleged falsifications were provided. Human Rights Watch condemned the sentencing, noting Bensedrine has long faced harassment, imprisonment, and exile for her activism. The group stated the 25-year sentence would keep her incarcerated until she is 100. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) described the charges as "groundless" and said the verdict signals that truth-seeking is now forbidden under President Kais Saied's government. Bensedrine has announced her intention to appeal the decision.
The sentencing of Sihem Bensedrine to 25 years in prison exposes the erosion of judicial independence under President Kais Saied's rule. Her role as head of a commission that directly challenged systemic corruption makes the state's case appear retaliatory rather than judicial. The claim that she falsified the IVD's final report remains unproven, yet it has been used to impose a sentence that effectively ends her life's work. International rights groups have dismissed the charges as baseless, underscoring the political nature of the prosecution.
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