{"id":160764,"date":"2026-06-26T08:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T04:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/160764-tunisian-rights-activist-sentenced-to-25-years-in-prison.html"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:34:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:34:38","slug":"tunisia-bensedrine-sentenced-to-25-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justiceinfo.net\/en\/160764-tunisia-bensedrine-sentenced-to-25-years-in-prison.html","title":{"rendered":"Tunisia: Bensedrine sentenced to 25 years in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The former chair of the Tunisian Truth Commission (IVD), Sihem Bensedrine, was sentenced in the early hours of Friday 16 June to a total of 25 years\u2019 imprisonment for several cases relating to transitional justice. She stated that the current government is seeking grounds to \u201cwithdraw the IVD report\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Prominent Tunisian rights activist Sihem Bensedrine<\/a> told AFP on Friday that she had been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges including falsifying part of a transitional justice<\/a> commission's final report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tunisia emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 as a beacon of democratic hope for the region after decades of authoritarianism, but rights groups have reported backsliding under President Kais Saied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Of course, this is a decision that has nothing to do with justice. It has to do with a totalitarian regime that wants to erase the legacy of the IVD,\" Bensedrine said, referring to the Truth and Dignity Commission<\/a> of which she was president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bensedrine, 75, said she would lodge an appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The now-defunct IVD, set up after the 2011 revolution ousted longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, heard testimony from thousands of his victims and those of his predecessor Habib Bourguiba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prosecutors accused Bensedrine of falsifying the commission's final report, published in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bensedrine said she had been targeted by \"officials who are holding the state hostage\" in order to \"settle scores\" and \"discredit our work\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Paris-headquartered International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has said the charges against Bensedrine were \"groundless\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FIDH also said her prosecution raised \"serious concerns\", noting the law provides that commission members are not to be held accountable for the contents of its reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commission's final report called for \"dismantling a system of corruption, repression and dictatorship\" within state institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
Recommended reading<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t
\"Sihem<\/div><\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\tTunisia: why Bensedrine is in jail\r\n\t\t<\/a>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The former chair of the Tunisian Truth Commission (IVD), Sihem Bensedrine, was sentenced in the early hours of Friday 16 June to a total of 25 years\u2019 imprisonment for several cases relating to transitional justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":160838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553,566,542],"tags":[],"ji_location":[2521],"class_list":["post-160764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-feed","category-national-tribunals","category-truth-commissions","ji_location-tunisia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTunisia: Bensedrine sentenced to 25 years in prison<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The former chair of the Tunisian Truth Commission (IVD), Sihem Bensedrine, was sentenced in the early hours of Friday 16 June to a total of 25 years\u2019 imprisonment for several 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