On September 29, 2026, the Court of Cassation dismissed the appeals filed by Abir Moussi’s defense team in the cases that had already been decided on appeal. The sentences handed down against her are now final: ten years in prison in the case involving the “registry office” of the Presidency of the Republic, two years in a case related to the “Independent High Authority for Elections” (ISIE), and six months in another similar case. The total sentence amounts to twelve years and six months in prison.

This decision marks a new step in the political elimination of an opposition figure who has been detained since October 3, 2023.

Three years in prison and a string of legal proceedings

Abir Moussi was arrested while she was at the reception desk of the Office of the President of the Republic to file appeals against presidential decrees related to the electoral process. An administrative appeal—which should have been a matter for legal and political debate—was turned into an extremely serious criminal case.

In the “registration office” case, the charges were based, among other things, on allegations such as attempting to change the form of government, inciting citizens to take up arms against one another, and inciting unrest. On March 13, 2026, the Tunis Court of Appeals sentenced her to ten years in prison. Added to this sentence were convictions stemming from two complaints filed by the ISIE under Decree-Law 54, based on her critical statements regarding the electoral process.

In these cases, the problem is not just the severity of the sentences. It is the transformation of political expression, criticism of institutions, and the exercise of legal remedies into criminally punishable acts—to the point of destroying a life, a family, and a political force.

Abir Moussi’s defense team also pointed out serious procedural irregularities: the hearing before the Court of Cassation was reportedly scheduled before the expiration of the legal deadline required for preparing briefs and defense arguments. When the stakes involve a sentence of more than twelve years in prison, scrupulous respect for the rights of the defense is not a mere formality: it is the minimum requirement for any form of justice.

A judicial system that brings legal proceedings to a close

The Court of Cassation should be the forum where procedural violations, errors of law, and breaches of the right to a fair trial are examined with the utmost rigor. By dismissing the appeals, it has made final sentences whose disproportion is striking to any observer acting in good faith.

Ten years in prison for going to the President’s office to file an appeal: such a sentence protects neither the state nor the justice system. On the contrary, it sends a message of fear to all those who wish to challenge, criticize, appeal to an institution, or defend a dissenting opinion.

On September 23, from her cell at the Bulla Regia prison, Abir Moussi began a hunger strike to protest the violations of her rights and the conditions under which the proceedings against her were being conducted. Although she has since ended her hunger strike, the reasons that led her to begin it remain valid. Her health and physical well-being must continue to be fully protected.

Solidarity cannot be divided

One may have—and many do—profound disagreements with Abir Moussi, with the history of the Free Destourian Party, with her political references, and with some of her positions. But no disagreement can justify arbitrary action, imprisonment for political activity, the use of Decree-Law 54 against criticism, or sentences intended to permanently remove an opponent from public life.

The defense of civil liberties is credible only if it applies to everyone. It depends neither on political affiliation, nor on ideological alignment, nor on any sympathy one may feel for the person being prosecuted. It is based on a simple principle: no one should be deprived of their liberty for exercising their political rights, expressing their opinions, or attempting to file a legal appeal.

The suspension, on October 2, 2026, of the PDL convention—which was scheduled for October 3 and 4 and in which Abir Moussi was the sole candidate for the party presidency—adds to this marginalization. It comes just as her detention reaches three years and her convictions become final.

We express our full solidarity with Abir Moussi, her loved ones, and all those detained or prosecuted in Tunisia for their opinions, their activism, or their political activities.

We demand his immediate release, an end to prosecutions based on the peaceful exercise of civil liberties, respect for the right to a fair trial, and an end to the manipulation of the justice system for the purpose of political repression.

Freedom for Abir Moussi. Freedom for all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience.