A Tunisian military court on appeal sentenced a member of the dissolved parliament, Saif al-Din Makhlouf, to one year in prison with forced execution, and a lawyer known for his harsh criticism of President Qais Sayed was charged with “undermining the morale of the army,” his lawyer says.
Lawyer Anwar Avlad Ali said Makhlouf, leader of the conservative Dignity Coalition, was also banned from practicing law for five years.
Makhlouf was found guilty of “undermining the morale of the army” due to a verbal altercation with judges at the Military Court of Tunisia in 2021.
“We were surprised by this verdict, especially since we asked for the hearing to be postponed so that the new document could be studied. It is clear that this process is purely political in nature,” Olad Ali added.
The lawyer said he appealed the decision on behalf of his client.
Initially, the former MP was sentenced in February to a year in prison on probation.
Seif El-Din Makhlouf, who is still at large, appeared before a military court in another case, filed in March 2021, for allegedly attacking police officers at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport.
Initially, he was sentenced in this case to 5 months in prison, but appealed this decision.
Local and international NGOs have consistently condemned the trials of civilians before a military court in Tunisia, noting that such trials have increased since President Said monopolized executive and legislative power on July 25, 2021.
