A Tunisian appeals court has confirmed an eight-year prison sentence against leading anti-racism activist Saadia Mosbah, deepening fears among rights groups over an escalating crackdown on civil society and migrant solidarity networks.

Mosbah, a Black Tunisian and long-time campaigner against racial discrimination, heads Mnemty, an association known for supporting sub-Saharan African migrants and denouncing racist abuses. She was arrested as part of a broader sweep targeting non-governmental organisations accused by authorities of facilitating irregular migration and mismanaging funds.

Prosecutors charged Mosbah with financial misconduct, alleging irregularities in the management of Mnemty’s resources. Her defence team argues the case is politically and racially motivated, insisting that audits and internal records show no criminal wrongdoing.

Lawyer Hayet Jazzar told the court that Mosbah’s work was instrumental in the adoption of Tunisia’s landmark 2018 law that criminalises racial discrimination, the first of its kind in the Arab world. Jazzar described the prosecution as a direct attack on a woman who had become a symbol of the fight against racism in a country grappling with its own anti-Black prejudices.

Another defence lawyer, Bassem Trifi, said Mosbah had been the target of a virulent online campaign shortly before her arrest, in which she was vilified for defending sub-Saharan migrants. He argued that this climate of hostility helped pave the way for her prosecution, framing it as the judicial extension of a racist smear effort.

Rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have condemned the verdict, saying the charges are unfounded and the proceedings marred by bias. Amnesty has warned that the case appears to be part of a wider strategy to intimidate activists and organisations that challenge official narratives on migration and racism.

The group also expressed alarm over reports that Mosbah has faced racist abuse and physical assault in detention, incidents that could amount to torture under international law. It has called for an independent investigation into her treatment and for her immediate release.

Mosbah’s conviction comes against the backdrop of increasingly hostile rhetoric from Tunisian authorities toward sub-Saharan migrants, and has raised concerns that the country’s pioneering anti-racism framework is being hollowed out just a few years after it was hailed as a regional breakthrough.