Tunisian presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to his lawyer. Zammel, who is running in the upcoming presidential election on October 6, faced multiple charges related to voter endorsements.
Lawyer Abdessater Messoudi stated, “The court in Tunis sentenced Ayachi Zammel to 12 years in prison in four cases.” Despite this significant legal setback, Messoudi emphasized that Zammel “remains a candidate in the election.”
Zammel, who leads a small liberal party, was one of only two candidates approved by Tunisia’s electoral authority, ISIE, to challenge the incumbent president, Kais Saied. Saied, who has been in office since 2019, has been accused of consolidating power by dissolving parliament and establishing a legislature with limited authority....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
In the lead-up to the election, ISIE had dismissed the candidacies of approximately 14 other hopefuls, ultimately presenting a final list of three candidates: Saied, former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui, and Zammel.
Just weeks prior to the sentencing, Zammel received a separate 20-month prison term for charges related to forging voter endorsements, further complicating his campaign efforts.
