Tunisia’s opposition Ennahdha party has slammed a court sentencing its leader Rached Ghannouchi to an additional 22 years in prison, saying the charges were “a blatant assault on the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and a blatant politicisation of its procedures and rulings”.

Ennahdha issued a statement on Thursday saying the proceedings were marred by “innumerable violations” and the case against Ghannouchi was “nothing more than a political trial”.

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It added that they were reminiscent of “a period that people sought to leave behind through their revolution” in a reference to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in popular protests that triggered the 2011 Arab Spring.

Ghannouchi was arrested in April 2023 and sentenced to one year in prison on charges of incitement. The 83-year-old has been the main rival of President Kais Saied.

Last week, he was sentenced to three years in prison over accusations that his party received foreign contributions. Ennahdha, which rejected the allegations, was fined $1.1m.

A court on Wednesday sentenced him to an additional 22 years in prison on charges that included “plotting against state security”.

Ahmed Gaaloul, an adviser to Ghannouchi and a former Tunisian minister, told Al Jazeera the party was expecting even harsher sentences to be handed out in the coming months.

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“Saied needs a propaganda tool” at a time of deep economic crisis, Gaaloul said. “His discourse is that he’s bringing back the people’s wealth, that he is strong, but this has nothing to do with justice.”

He said Ennahdha would continue to challenge the proceedings in international courts. Ghannouchi, who Gaaloul said remains in good spirits despite not receiving sufficient medical attention while in prison, is refusing to appear before a judge in Tunisia to protest against the absence of an independent judiciary.

Gaaloul said Saied’s government was being backed by countries that have “security and stability” in Tunisia as their top interest rather than democracy. “This did not work in the ‘80s and the ‘90s, and it will not work in this case,” he told Al Jazeera.

Several opposition leaders handed jail sentences

The court also issued sentences on Wednesday for several other figures from the Ennahdha party, including former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who received 35 years.

Mechichi has been living abroad since 2021, a few months after Saied sacked him and shut down the elected parliament in a move the opposition described as a “coup”.

A total of 41 people were charged in the case. Said Ferjani, a member of Ennahda’s political executive who was detained in February 2023, was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

In a statement posted on X, his family said those levelled against him were “baseless, trumped-up charges designed to silence critical voices,” part of Saied’s “authoritarian crackdown on democracy and human rights.”

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The court also sentenced Lazhar Longo, a former intelligence director, and Mohamed Ali Aroui, a former Ministry of the Interior spokesman, to 15 years in prison each.

Among the defendants were Ghannouchi’s son Mouadh, his daughter Soumaya and his son-in-law Rafik Abdessalem, who served as Tunisia’s foreign affairs minister from 2011 to 2013. They were sentenced to 35, 25 and 34 years in prison, respectively.

The court also issued sentences for several journalists working for a digital content production firm called Instalingo, which has been under scrutiny since Saied orchestrated his 2021 power grab.

Lawyer Mokthar Jmai told the Reuters news agency the court handed a 27-year sentence to journalist Chahrazad Akacha, who has fled abroad, and a five-year sentence to another journalist, Chadha Haj Mbarak, who was already jailed.

“These are unjust and political rulings that aim to eliminate political opponents,” Jmai told the news agency, adding that they would appeal against the sentences.

Saied, a former law professor, suspended the Tunisian parliament in 2021 and subsequently dissolved it to rule by decree.

Tunisia held legislative elections in late 2022, but voter turnout was low due to an opposition boycott. Earlier that year, Saied had successfully pushed a constitutional referendum that expanded the powers of the presidency.

Critics have warned of the risk of bringing the country back to “authoritarianism”. The National Authority for the Prevention of Torture on Wednesday said prison figures were “alarming” as inmate numbers have risen to more than 32,000, compared with about 22,000 from 2018 to 2021.

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Saied has repeatedly denied conducting a coup and said his actions were needed to save Tunisia from years of chaos. But he has struggled to revive the economy.

On Wednesday, Saied sacked his finance minister and appointed a magistrate to the role. The presidency made the announcement in a Facebook post that showed Michket Slama Khaldi being sworn into office by Saied.

The presidency initially gave no details for the decision and did not mention outgoing Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri Nemsia.

Khaldi has headed a national commission tasked with recovering public funds embezzled before the 2011 revolt against Ben Ali.