A Tunisian military court has sentenced an opposition â leader to four years in prison on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the â military to disobey orders, her lawyer has said.
The charges against Olfa â Hamdi, a dual Tunisian and United States national, stemmed from social media posts, her lawyer Akram Moussa said on Wednesday. Hamdi has repeatedly criticised Tunisian President Kais SaiedâÂÂs rule and called for a transitional government and early presidential elections.
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Critics say the case against Hamdi is the latest in a crackdown on opponents of Saied.
In TunisiaâÂÂs 2024 elections, Hamdi, who was then 36, sought to run for president. Her candidacy was rejected for not meeting the 40-year age minimum for candidates.
Hamdi, the leader of the Third Republic Party, was detained at TunisiaâÂÂs main airport after disembarking from a flight in February.
She âÂÂhad been living abroad, running a consulting firm in the US after briefly serving as the head of TunisiaâÂÂs national airline Tunisair.
HamdiâÂÂs sentence comprises two separate two-year prison terms from two additional convictions and 80,000 dinars ($26,000) in fines, her lawyer said.
Hamdi was also sentenced in March in a separate case to two years in prison. Global human rights organisations have widely criticised the cases against her.
A US Department of State spokesperson told the AFP news agency that Washington was âÂÂclosely tracking the situationâÂÂ.
âÂÂThe [President Donald] Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens,â he said.
Rights groups have criticised Saied, accusing him of rolling back freedoms in a 2021 power grab.
Thousands of âÂÂTunisians joined the largest protest against Saied in years on Saturday, accusing him of undermining democracy and âÂÂmishandling âÂÂthe economy. Opposition leaders, activists â and journalists have been imprisoned during his rule.
Saied rejects accusations that he is targeting political opponents and critics, saying the law applies to everyone regardless of their position.