Tunisian Court Sentences Ex-justice Minister to 20 Years in Prison

By Al Mayadeen English

7 May 2026 13:04

Noureddine Bhiri, a senior Ennahda political figure, was sentenced to 20 years in Tunisia over passport forgery claims tied to his tenure as justice minister.

A Tunisian court has sentenced former Justice Minister Noureddine Bhiri, a senior figure in the Ennahda Movement, to 20 years in prison in a case involving allegations of facilitating forged passports and citizenship documents for foreign nationals, according to state media.

The case centers on accusations that Bhiri and others were involved in “fabricating passports and falsifying citizenship documents” allegedly issued to foreign individuals wanted in "terrorism-related cases" during his tenure as justice minister in 2012. Bhiri and his legal team have firmly denied the allegations.

Bhiri is already in detention after receiving a separate 43-year sentence in April 2025 in a case linked to “conspiracy against state security.”

Passport forgery claims

Citing a judicial source, Tunisia’s state news agency reported on Wednesday that the criminal chamber specializing in terrorism cases at the Tunis primary court issued sentences ranging from 11 to 30 years in the same case.

Bhiri and former security official Fathi al-Baladi were each sentenced to 20 years in prison.

In addition, the court issued a 30-year sentence in absentia with immediate enforcement against Moaz Kheriji, the son of Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, along with three other unnamed defendants described as fugitives.

Two additional defendants were sentenced to 11 years in prison, while all those convicted were placed under five years of administrative supervision.

The court also removed former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali from the list of defendants in the case, according to the same source.

Although the rulings can still be appealed, the court ordered their immediate enforcement, meaning the sentences will begin to be carried out before a final verdict is reached.

Identity documents

According to the state news agency, the case involves claims that forged documents enabled a Syrian national allegedly linked to international terrorism-related cases to obtain Tunisian identity papers.

The agency added that the origins of the case date back to a Syrian man and his wife, who allegedly obtained Tunisian passports through the country’s embassy in Vienna between 1982 and 1984. Bhiri has argued that the matter predates his time in office.

The indictment alleges that the couple’s nationality and identity documents were improperly regularized in 2012 during Bhiri’s tenure at the Justice Ministry. Bhiri’s defense has rejected the charges, describing the case as politically motivated and lacking legal basis.

Broader crackdown on opposition figures

Since February 2023, Tunisian authorities have detained several opposition politicians, lawyers, and civil society figures on charges including undermining public order, conspiring against state security, collusion with foreign entities, and money laundering. Defendants and their legal teams deny the accusations.

Those facing prosecution include Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, National Salvation Front leader Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, former presidential office minister Ridha Belhaj, Republican Party secretary-general Issam Chebbi, and former minister Ghazi Chaouachi.

While Tunisian authorities maintain that judicial procedures are independent and conducted according to law, opposition groups argue that the arrests and trials form part of a wider political crackdown on dissent.