Nine women prosecuted since 2016 by the Tunisian justice for the formation of a "
terrorist
" cell and the planning of the assassination of a minister, were sentenced to sentences of up to 25 years in prison, indicated Thursday 12 January from local media.
Two members of this group of ten people, made up entirely of women, including its founder, were sentenced to 25 years in prison for
“terrorist acts”
on Tuesday January 10 by the Criminal Chamber within the Court of First Instance in Tunis. .
Seven other defendants received sentences ranging from 3 to 14 years in prison.
Another was dismissed, according to the same source.
The court charged the convicted persons with planning an attack on a minister.
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In 2016, allegations circulated on social media of an assassination attempt on then Interior Minister Hédi Majdoub while visiting his parents, which his communications department denied.
According to the private Tunisian radio Mosaïque FM, among the women sentenced is a neighbor of the minister's parents, accused of having provided information about his visits to her family.
The media did not give further details.
Contacted by AFP, the Ministry of Justice was unable to give details on this case.
The Tunisian prosecutor's office has no spokesperson and has not communicated with journalists for months.
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“Progress in the fight against jihadists”
After the 2011 popular uprising in Tunisia that brought down dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the country experienced a boom in jihadist groups that carried out several attacks that killed dozens of tourists and security forces.
The authorities claim to have made significant progress in the fight against jihadists in recent years.
But this is the first time that an all-female group has been involved in terrorist acts.