A Tunisian military court on Wednesday sentenced Olfa Hamdi, leader of the Third Republic Party, to four years in prison. Her lawyer, Akram Moussa, said the charges were plotting against state security and inciting the military to disobey orders, based on social media posts. It is a sentence, not pre-trial detention.

Wednesday’s penalty is two convictions of two years each, plus fines of 80,000 dinars, about 26,000 dollars, the lawyer said. In March Hamdi received two years in a separate case. Those files are not mixed here: this piece covers only Wednesday’s sentence.

Hamdi holds dual Tunisian and American citizenship. She was detained in February at Tunisia’s main airport after a flight. She had been living abroad, running a consulting firm in the United States, after a short spell as head of Tunisair.

She has publicly criticised President Kais Saied’s rule and called for a transitional government and early presidential elections. In 2024 she sought to run for president. Her candidacy was rejected because she did not meet the 40-year age minimum. She was then 36.

Critics say the case is part of pressure on the opposition after 2021. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP that Washington was closely tracking the situation and that the safety of American citizens is a priority. Rights groups have criticised the cases against her. Saied rejects the charge that he targets opponents and says the law applies to everyone.

On Saturday thousands of Tunisians protested in Tunis, the largest demonstration against Saied in years, according to AFP and Reuters. Wednesday’s sentence is not that protest and is not the March case.

Image: Dacoslett, Palais de Justice, Tunis, 24 May 2008, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; the civilian palace in 2008, not Wednesday military session.

Sources consulted: Tunisia jails opposition politician for four years over social media posts - Al Jazeera / AFP, Reuters, 21 October 2026; Tunisia military court sentences opposition figure Olfa Hamdi to four years in prison - Al-Monitor, 21 October 2026.