TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Tunisian court opened a high-profile trial Tuesday in which 40 people, including leading opposition figures, stand accused of conspiring against state security. Activists protested outside, calling it a baseless case and part of a politically driven crackdown.

Tunisian activists protested on Tuesday near a Tunis court where prominent figures face charges of conspiring against state security in a trial‮ ‬that the opposition says is fabricated and a symbol of President Kais Saied's authoritarian rule.

The trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of national security offences opened on Tuesday, with lawyers and relatives denouncing the case as politically motivated.

A Tunisian court sentenced eight defendants to death on Tuesday over the 2013 assassination of leftist opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, according to local reports.Charges included "attempting to change the state's nature" and "inciting armed conflict",

These include politicians, journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists. They are accused of plotting against the state but activists say the charges are false and part of a government effort to silence critics.