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‘A mockery’: Mass trial begins in Tunisia of political opponents

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‘A mockery’: Mass trial begins in Tunisia of political opponents

Human rights groups denounce trials as further evidence of a crackdown on opposition by President Kais Saied.

The collective trial of around 40 opposition figures has gotten under way in Tunis, with rights groups claiming the crackdown on voices critical of Tunisian President Kais Saied to be politically motivated.

Many of the defendants, who stand charged with offences ranging from “plotting against the state security” to “belonging to a terrorist group” are notable critics of the president, including politicians, former diplomats, lawyers and high-profile media figures

The families of the accused were reported to have crowded the trial chamber of the Court of First Instance in the Tunisian capital on Tuesday, chanting “freedom”, and accusing the judiciary of acting upon government orders.

“We are facing the biggest judicial scandals,” said Bassam Trifi, the head of the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights. “It is one of the darkest injustices in Tunisia’s history.”

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Charges of rolling back the democratic gains of the country’s revolution of 2011 have dogged Saied since his dramatic power grab of July 2021, when he shuttered Parliament and dismissed its speaker and prime minister, introducing a period of presidential rule by decree.

Many of those currently on trial were prominent critics of that process, such as Jaouhar Ben Mbarek, who led both the National Salvation Front and the Citizens Against the Coup group – both formed in protest at Saied’s suspension of Parliament. Ben Mbarek was arrested in a series of raids upon Saied’s critics in February of 2023.

Others on trial include former presidential chief of staff Nadia Akacha, former head of intelligence Kamel Guizani, and the former leader of opposition party Ennahda, Abdelhamid Jelassi, who, like Ben Mbarek, was arrested in 2023.

Ben Mbarak, Jelassi and four other defendants –  politicians Khayam Turki, Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi and lawyer Ridha Belhaj, all of whom have been held in pretrial detention – were barred from attending court, the International Commission of Jurists said, adding that the decision undermined a trial it termed “grossly unfair”.

Akacha and Guizani both live abroad.

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Human Rights Watch denounced the mass trial, calling it a “mockery”.

“Tunisian authorities should immediately release all those arbitrarily detained for over the past two years in the so-called ‘conspiracy’ case on abusive charges of security and terrorism offences, and put an end to this mockery of a trial,” said Bassam Khawaja, Human Rights Watch’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director.

The move is just the latest crackdown against Saied’s political opponents.

Rached Ghannouchi, the 83-year-old leader of the “Muslim Democrat” Ennahda Party, who also served as the speaker of Parliament, has been sentenced to a total of more than 26 years in prison following separate trials, after having first been arrested in April 2023.

And on the opposite end of the political spectrum, Abir Moussi, the leader of the secular Free Constitutional Party, has also been in prison since 2023.

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Despite assurances from Saied as recently as Sunday that he had never interfered with the judiciary, the president has been widely accused of the opposite. Tunisian and international human rights groups have previously denounced Saied’s weakening of the judiciary as a check on his power, including the dismissal of judges and dissolution of a body that guaranteed the judiciary’s independence in 2023.

Tunisia’s courts also played a critical role in removing nearly all of Saied’s rivals from the running in last year’s presidential election, jailing several of his rivals on what critics have described as spurious charges and barring them from running for election.

Rights groups and international bodies continue to criticise Saied’s actions. Amnesty International has called for an end to politically-motivated prosecutions, while the United Nations has also called for an end to the persecution of political opponents and activists.

At the same time, Tunisia has warm relations with the European Union, centred on Tunis cracking down on migrant and refugee routes into Europe from North Africa.

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Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung Crime Thriller ‘Made in Korea’ Sets Disney+ Debut

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Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung Crime Thriller ‘Made in Korea’ Sets Disney+ Debut

Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung go head-to-head in “Made in Korea,” a 1970s crime noir that launches Dec. 24 on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere.

The series stars Hyun Bin (“Crash Landing on You,” “Confidential Assignment”) as Baek Kitae, an ambitious KCIA agent in 1970s South Korea who leads a dangerous double life. By day, he works as a government operative, while by night he runs an illegal operation, using his underworld connections to consolidate power, protect his brother and generate substantial revenue for the agency.

Jung Woo-sung (“Tell Me That You Love Me,” “12.12: The Day”) co-stars as Jang Geonyoung, an incorruptible prosecutor determined to bring Kitae down. Woo Dohwan (“Bloodhounds,” “Mr. Plankton”) plays Kitae’s brother Baek Kihyun.

The series is written by Park Eunkyo (“Mother,” “A Normal Family,” “The Silent Sea”) and Park Joonseok (“A Normal Family”), directed by Woo Minho (“The Man Standing Next,” “Inside Men,” “Harbin”), and produced by Hive Media Corp (“Inside Men,” “The Man Standing Next,” “12.12: The Day”).

Following the two-episode premiere, “Made in Korea” will release two additional episodes on Dec. 31, with the final two episodes rolling out weekly through Jan. 14. The series has already been renewed for a second season, which is currently in production.

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The thriller joins Disney+’s expanding slate of Korean drama content that launched in 2025, including “Unmasked,” “Nine Puzzles,” “Hyper Knife,” “Low Life,” “The Murky Stream” and “Tempest.”

The streamer has additional Korean series slated for 2026, including “Gold Land” starring Park Boyoung, “Perfect Crown” starring IU and Byeon Wooseok, and the return of “A Shop for Killers” for a second season with Lee Dongwook and Kim Hyejun.

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Pope Leo XIV says he’s ‘very disappointed’ after Illinois approves assisted suicide law

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Pope Leo XIV says he’s ‘very disappointed’ after Illinois approves assisted suicide law

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Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday he was “very disappointed” after his home state of Illinois approved a law allowing medically assisted suicide.

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Leo, who grew up in Chicago, said he had spoken “explicitly” with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker while the legislation was on his desk and urged him not to sign the bill into law, saying the measure undermines respect for human life from “the very beginning to the very end.”

“Unfortunately, for different reasons, he decided to sign that bill,” Leo told reporters outside Rome. “I am very disappointed about that.”

The Medical Aid in Dying Act, also referred to as “Deb’s Law,” was signed into law by Pritzker on Dec. 12 and allows eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medication after consultation with their doctors.

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Pope Leo XIV met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 19 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

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The measure was named after Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident with a rare terminal illness who had pushed for the bill’s approval.

The law takes effect in September 2026, giving participating healthcare providers and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) time to implement required processes and protections.

Leo said Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich also urged Pritzker not to sign the bill, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

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Pope Leo XIV said he was very disappointed” that Illinois passed a law allowing medically assisted suicide. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

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“I would invite all people, especially in these Christmas days, to reflect upon the nature of human life, the goodness of human life,” Leo said. “God became human like us to show us what it means really to live human life, and I hope and pray that the respect for life will once again grow in all moments of human existence, from conception to natural death.”

The state’s six Catholic dioceses have also criticized Pritzker’s decision to sign the bill, saying it puts Illinois “on a dangerous and heartbreaking path.”

Illinois joins a growing list of states allowing medically assisted suicide. Eleven other states and the District of Columbia allow medically assisted suicide, according to the advocacy group, Death with Dignity, and seven other states are considering allowing it.

After signing the bill, Pritzker said the legislation would allow patients with terminal illnesses to “avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives,” and said it would be “thoughtfully implemented” to guide physicians and patients through deeply personal decisions.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on Dec. 12, allowing eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medication after consultation with their doctors. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Europeans show solidarity with Denmark after Trump’s Greenland threat

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Europeans show solidarity with Denmark after Trump’s Greenland threat

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Exactly one year after Donald Trump first announced his intention to integrate Greenland into US territory on grounds of “national protection”, he’s back for more.

The US president has appointed Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as the new US special envoy for Greenland with the stated objective of “integrating Greenland into the United States” and repeated the US needs the territory for its national security.

His comments have been taken seriously by EU heads of state and government, who are presenting a united front against what they describe as American expansionist ambitions towards the autonomous territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, both responded to the announcement by reaffirming their support for the integrity of Denmark’s territory.

“Greenland belongs to its people. Denmark stands as its guarantor. I join my voice to that of Europeans in expressing our full solidarity.”

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters the United States “needs Greenland for national security, not for minerals or oil, but national security. And if you take a look at Greenland, there are Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. So, we need this for protection.”

He also chastised Denmark for what he described neglecting the territory, “they have spent no money, they have no military protection, they say Denmark arrived there 300 years ago with boats – we were there with boats too, I’m sure. We’ll have to work it all out.”

Adding to the European voices pushing back on the US ambitions and the criticism of Denmark, Commission Ursula von der Leyen insisted that “territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law”. Despite the tone coming out of Washington, she appeared to refer to the US as an ally in arctic security.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez echoed those remarks. “Respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity is central to the EU and to all nations of the world,” he wrote on X. “Security in the Arctic is a priority in which we seek to work with allies and partners.”

The US and Denmark are part of NATO, which is supposed to ensure mutual defence in the event of aggression against one of its members. That principle has never been tested by conflict between members of the alliance if one were to seize territory from another.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has so far remained silent on the issue. During a press conference with Trump in the White House’s Oval Office in March, he also chose not to comment after a question from a journalist.

“When it comes to Greenland, if it joins the US or not, I will leave that outside of me in this discussion because I don’t want to drag NATO into that,” he said.

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