Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for “conspiring against state security”.

Ghannouchi’s defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial.

Over the past few years, rights groups have repeatedly denounced the jailing of opposition figures in Tunisia, saying the sentences highlight an aggressive crackdown against critics of President Kais Saied.

Ghannouchi was earlier jailed in 2023 and refused to attend Tuesday’s sentencing remotely.

In recent months, he has received three sentences totalling more than 20 years, for charges such as money laundering.

According to news agency Tunis Afrique Presse, Ghannouchi’s children, Mouadh and Tasnim, were also sentenced on Tuesday, although they had already fled the country. Both received 35-year sentences in absentia.