TUNIS, April 19, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The verdict in a case against dozens of Tunisian opposition figures accused of plotting against the state was expected imminently, defence lawyers said Friday, decrying a "farce" of a trial against their clients.

A third hearing in the case lasted much of the day, with media barred from the proceedings, along with foreign diplomats who had previously been admitted.

Defence lawyers had objected to the reading of the indictment against the accused, but the judge continued, saying the "verdict will be announced after deliberation", possibly Friday night, according to attorney Ayachi Hammami.

"The government wants a verdict today," fellow defender Samia Abbou told AFP, denouncing a "flagrant violation of judicial procedures" and adding that the defendants had not been heard.

"The decision has already been made," Abbou said, calling the trial "a farce, unheard of even under (ousted strongman) Ben Ali".

Another defence lawyer, Samir Dilou, described the process as "judicial madness".

Around 40 people -- including party leaders, lawyers and media personalities -- are being tried for "plotting against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group", and are facing sentences including the death penalty.

After Tunisia's judiciary ruled that defendants would only be able to follow the proceedings remotely, several went on hunger strike to demand permission to attend in person, their defence team said.

Many of the defendants have been vocal critics of President Kais Saied.

Saied, elected after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy from the Arab Spring, staged a sweeping power grab in 2021. Human rights groups have since raised concerns over a rollback on freedoms.

In a recent report, Human Rights Watch said Tunisia has seen an "increased reliance on arbitrary detention and politically motivated prosecutions to intimidate, punish and silence its critics".