Tunis: A Tunisian court has sentenced former prime minister Ali Laarayedh to 34 years in prison on terrorism charges for facilitating the travel of jihadist fighters to Iraq and Syria. According to Nam News Network, Laarayedh, 69, who once led the Islamist party Ennahdha, briefly governed Tunisia after the 2011 uprising that sparked the Arab Spring. Over the years, he has been a vocal critic of current President Kais Saied. His arrest took place in December 2022 amid allegations of forming a terrorist group and aiding Tunisians in joining jihadist factions in Iraq and Syria, as stated by his lawyer, Oussama Bouthelja. Radio station Mosaique reported, citing a judicial source, that sentences for the eight defendants involved in this case ranged from 18 to 36 years. This trial is part of a broader wave of prosecutions that have targeted individuals critical of President Saied's administration. In a related trial, approximately 40 defendants were handed substantial sentences. The United Nations has reported that between 2011 and 2016, around 5,500 Tunisians were involved with jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, in regions such as Iraq, Syria, and Libya.