Tunisia: Head of Magistrates Association sentenced to one year in prison on appeal

Anas Hammadi, the president of the Tunisian Magistrates Association, has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Tunis Court of Appeal. The court upheld the initial ruling, finding Hammadi guilty of "obstructing freedom of work." The sentence is to be executed immediately, according to judicial sources cited by the TAP news agency.

Hammadi, who had appealed the initial verdict, did not appear for the appeal hearing. The court had reportedly granted two postponements at the request of his lawyer. Reports suggest that Hammadi may have already left Tunisia. The original judgment was issued on April 6, 2026, following an investigation into an incident that occurred on June 13, 2022, at the Monastir Court of First Instance.

According to the case file, Hammadi is accused of deliberately disrupting and halting a summary proceedings hearing, which led to the suspension of the session. His judicial immunity was lifted on September 20, 2022, by a decision from the Provisional Council of the Judicial Magistracy.