The trial of former magistrate and lawyer Ahmed Souab was held this Friday before the Criminal Chamber specializing in terrorist cases of the Court of First Instance of Tunis. The hearing, boycotted by the accused, lasted seven minutes, before the court seized the case for deliberations and announced a verdict to come, according to the testimony of lawyer Samir Dilou.
According to Samir Dilou, the hearing took place in conditions considered “surreal”. “There are no words left strong enough to describe the deterioration of the judicial spectacle,” he denounced in a publication on Facebook.
Ahmed Souab, who categorically refuses remote trials, did not appear. No interrogation or pleading took place, the debates having been limited to the declaration of the president of the bar, Boubaker Bethabet, recalling the position of the bar against the holding of trials by videoconference.
Solidarity before the court
At the same time, a demonstration of support was held in front of the Tunis court, bringing together lawyers, activists and relatives of the former magistrate. On social networks, Hafedh Souab, brother of the accused, denounced the court’s decision to restrict access to a single family member in the courtroom, under the pretext of a “terrorist danger”.
The son of the accused, Saeb Souab, had already affirmed that his father remained determined to exercise his right to a physical appearance to defend himself, considering the systematic use of videoconferencing as a violation of the right to a fair trial.
The arrest of Ahmed Souab on April 21, 2025, at his home in Tunis, sparked a large wave of reactions. He is being prosecuted under the anti-terrorism law, after public statements questioning the independence of the judiciary.
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