NEWS CENTER_The Tunisian Military Court issued yesterday, Wednesday, 21 October, a ruling sentencing political opponent Olfa Hamdi to four years in prison and a financial fine of about 12,000 euros, on charges of “conspiracy against state security” and “inciting the miliary to disobey.”

These rulings, which are subject to appeal according to what her lawyer Akram Moussa stated, come in the context of a wave of prosecutions witnessed in Tunisia against dozens of political opponents since President Kais Saied's monopolization of powers in 2021, amid human rights criticisms of the decline of freedoms in the country.

Olfa Hamdi, who announced her candidacy for the presidential elections in 2024, had previously received a judicial ruling from the military judiciary sentencing her to two years in prison before her arrest upon her arrival at Tunis-Carthage Airport in mid-February. The charges relate to posts on her Facebook page in which she criticized Tunisian President Kais Saied and the army.

The Tunisian-American Olfa Hamdi briefly held the position of Chairwoman and CEO of Tunisair, the Tunisian airline, in early 2021. In 2022, she founded the "Third Republic" party and was highly critical of the policy of President Kais Saied, who monopolizes powers in the country.

Amid the arrest and imprisonment of dozens of political opponents in Tunisia and harsh sentences issued against them, international and local human rights organizations have directed criticism regarding the decline of freedoms in Tunisia.