Tunisian military court jails 5 former lawmakers: Lawyer

By Alaa Hamoudi

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – A Tunisian military court has jailed five former parliamentarians in connection with a quarrel with airport security personnel last year, according to a defense lawyer.

On March 15, MPs from the Dignity Coalition clashed with security personnel at Carthage International Airport as they defended a female passenger, who was barred from travel for security reasons.

The court on Friday slapped two MPs with 14 months and 11 months in prison respectively and barred them from the legal profession, defense lawyer Ines Harrath, said in a Facebook statement.

She said a third lawmaker was jailed for 7 months and two others for five months each in connection with the incident.

“We will continue to defend our fellow lawyers and lawmakers of the Dignity Coalition, who reject the coup,” Harrath said.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's economy since 2021, when President Kais Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament.

Political parties and rights organizations accuse Saied of targeting opponents since his power seizure.​​​​​​​

While Saied insists that his measures were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report.