Prominent Tunisian lawyer and former minister, Ayachi Al-Hammami, has stated that he anticipates imminent arrest, alongside opposition leader Ahmed Najib Chebbi, citing what he describes as an unfair judicial ruling and a crackdown on dissent under President Kais Saied’s rule.
In a recent interview, Al-Hammami, who was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with the so-called “conspiracy case,” asserted that these verdicts related to conspiracy and terrorism charges are “unacceptable” and reflect a lack of judicial independence, alleging that the judiciary is acting at the behest of President Saied.
Al-Hammami maintained that the case files lack any evidence to support the accusations against him and others. He said he expects security forces to raid his home, noting that a police vehicle is stationed outside his residence. He also highlighted the arrest of activist Chaima Issa during a protest earlier today, also in connection with the conspiracy case. Al-Hammami affirmed that he and his colleagues will face imprisonment and will not leave the country in response to the actions of the current government.
“We are prepared to go to prison, and we do not see it as a disgrace but as a badge of honor,” Al-Hammami stated. “This despotic authority is repressing us to punish us for our opposition, and we call on the rest of the Tunisian people to unite on a common ground to confront this tyranny.”
The Tunisian lawyer and human rights advocate described his situation as a continuation of what has happened to dozens of activists who have been imprisoned by the authorities since the events of July 2021. “We are ready to pay the price of struggle,” he declared.
Al-Hammami expressed hope that these arrests would motivate Tunisians to confront the current government, which he accuses of managing the country by defaming and arresting opponents and considering them enemies of the nation. He voiced his astonishment at being accused of terrorism, given his background as a former human rights minister and a human rights activist, highlighting the sentences handed down to him, Ahmed Najib Chebbi (leader of the opposition National Salvation Front), and Chaima Issa (a leading figure in the Front). He concluded by stating that the cases targeting Tunisian opposition figures based on the anti-terrorism law “cannot be described as cases.”
