Tunisia Court Delivers Verdicts in "Plot Against State Security" Case
The specialized criminal chamber for terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of Appeal delivered its final judgments on Friday, November 28, 2025, regarding the defendants involved in the so-called "plot against state security" case. The sentences handed down to the detainees range from 10 to 45 years in prison, while one defendant was acquitted. For those on trial who were free, the sentences range from 5 to 35 years, with two of them also being acquitted. As for the defendants on the run, the judgments confirm the sentences pronounced in the first instance (33 years with immediate execution) and increase them for some up to 43 years. In some cases, fines and the confiscation of funds held in Tunisian financial institutions were added.
Main Convicted Detainees
The main convicted detainees include:
- Mohamed Khiam Ben Ibrahim Ben Mustapha Turki (45 years, 100,000 dinar fine, confiscation of funds, and 5 years of administrative control)
- Kamel Ben Youssef Ben Slimane Eltaïef (30 years, 100,000 dinar fine, and 5 years of administrative control)
- Nour Eddine Abdallah Salem Bhiri (25 years and 5 years of administrative control)
- Issam Ben Abdelaziz Ben Ahmed Chebi: 20 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (18 years in the first instance)
- Jawhar Ben Ezzedine Ben Mohamed Habib Mbarek: 20 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (18 years in the first instance)
- Ghazi Ben Mohamed Ben El Hadi Chouachi: 20 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (18 years in the first instance)
- Redha Ben Al-Bachir Mohamed Belhaj: 20 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (18 years in the first instance)
- Abdelhamid Ben El Kader Ben Mohamed Jlassi: 10 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
- Hattab Fethi Hattab Salama: acquitted (4 years in the first instance)
- Ali Mahjoub Mohamed Halioui: 33 years in prison (33 years with immediate execution in the first instance)
- Ridfa Ali Jilani Charafeddine: 2 years and 3 months of administrative control (16 years in the first instance)
- Sahbi Messaoud Salem Atig: 10 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
- Sayed Mohamed Bouraoui Ferjani: 10 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
- Kamel Bachir Mohamed Badawi: 13 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
Defendants on Trial Who Were Free
- Ahmed Najib Abdelaziz Ahmed Chebi: 12 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (18 years in the first instance)
- Chaima Issa Ibrahim Ben Bahki: 20 years in prison, 50,000 dinar fine, and confiscation of funds (18 years in the first instance)
- Mohamed Lazhar Akremi: acquitted (8 years in the first instance)
- Chokri Ben Issa Bahriya: 19 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
- Ayachi Ahmed Rabah Hamami: 5 years in prison and 2 years of administrative control (8 years in the first instance)
- Mohamed Mabrouk Mohamed Hamdi: 17 years in prison, 20,000 dinar fine, and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
- Nour Eddine Ahmed Younes Boutar: acquitted (10 years in the first instance)
- Karim Farid Laurent Ben Mohamed Glati: 35 years in prison, 50,000 dinar fine, and 5 years of administrative control (25 years in the first instance)
- Mohamed Bachir Mohamed Badawi: 13 years in prison and 5 years of administrative control (13 years in the first instance)
Defendants on the Run
The initial sentences were confirmed at 33 years with immediate execution for:
- Hamza Mohamed Rajab Ali Meddeb
- Monji Saleh Arabi Dhaouadi
- Kamel Salem Saeed Guizani
- Ridha Mahmoud Mohamed Idris
- Mustafa Kamel Haj Ali Nabli
- Kawthar Mohamed Kamel Amara Al-Daasi
- Mohamed Abdelraouf Abdelrahman Mohamed Al-Wassif Khalaf Allah
- Abdelmajid Omar Ahmed Al-Zar
- Tasnim Rachid Mohamed Al-Khariji
- Nadia Al-Beji Hattab Akacha
- Rafik Ahmed Abdelrahman Chabouni
For some, the sentences were increased up to 43 years with immediate execution, accompanied by fines and 5 years of administrative control:
- Najla Abdellatif Khalifa Latif (on the run): 43 years, 50,000 dinar fine, and 5 years of administrative control (33 years in the first instance)
- Bochra Belhaj Hmida (on the run): 33 years, 50,000 dinar fine, and 5 years of administrative control (33 years in the first instance)
- Bernard Henri Lévy (on the run): 43 years and 5 years of administrative control (33 years in the first instance)
Background
The case dates back to February 2023, when several political figures from different parties, former ministers and officials, lawyers, businessmen, and security officials were arrested on charges including conspiracy against the internal and external security of the state. The accusations against nearly 40 defendants concerned the commission of crimes, including:
- Plotting against the internal and external security of the state
- Forming a terrorist alliance linked to terrorist crimes and participating in it
- Committing aggressions aimed at modifying the organization of the state or inciting populations to attack each other with weapons
- Provoking chaos, murder, and looting on Tunisian territory as part of terrorist activities
- Harming food security and the environment
The fifth specialized criminal chamber for terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance had delivered prison sentences ranging from 4 to 66 years against the defendants in what is known as the "plot against state security" case on April 19, 2025. Three defendants were removed from the case (in the first instance) after appealing the decision of the indictment chamber: Riadh Khamis Ammar Chaibi (free), Mohamed Kamel Hassouna Amara Jendoubi (on the run), and Noureddine Hamid Belkacem Ben Ticha (on the run).
