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.

A mass trial of around 40 prominent opposition figures began in Tunisia on Tuesday, in a case that lawyers, relatives and rights groups say is politically motivated. Diplomats, politicians, lawyers, and journalists who are critical of President Kaïs Saïed are among the defendants.

The trial of prominent opposition figures in Tunisia who have been accused of conspiring against the state was postponed on Tuesday until April 11 by the judge, who declined to release those held in custody.

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.