[JURIST] A former Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee was convicted by a Tunisian court Wednesday on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization. Abdullah al-Hajji Ben Amor [HRW profile] was sentenced to seven years in prison. He was convicted in absentia on the same charges in Tunisia in 1995, five years after he had left the country, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In June, Al-Hajji was transferred to Tunisian custody [JURIST report] after five years at Guantanamo Bay. In September, HRW released a report [text; press release] accusing Tunisian officials of mistreating Al-Hajji [JURIST report] and fellow Guantanamo transferee Lotfi Lagha [HRW backgrounder]. Last month, a Tunisian court sentenced Lagha to three years in prison [JURIST report] on criminal association charges. Since 2002, approximately 470 detainees have been transferred out of Guantanamo and approximately 305 remain [press release], 10 of whom are Tunisian. Reuters has more.