Former Tunisian premier sentenced to 34 years in prison

​​​​​​​By Cagri Kosak and Merve Berker

ISTANBUL/ Former Tunisian Prime Minister and deputy head of the Ennahda Movement, Ali Laarayedh, was sentenced to 34 years in prison on terrorism-related charges, media reports said Saturday.

Tunisia’s official news agency, TAP, citing judicial sources, said Laarayedh and eight other defendants were charged with aiding the formation of a terror organization, joining such a group within Tunisia, and facilitating the travel of Tunisian youth abroad to join terror groups.

The case is known as the "human trafficking trial."

All defendants were sentenced to terms ranging from 18 to 36 years for allegedly trafficking individuals to regions where the Daesh/ISIS terror group is active.