On Wednesday, hundreds of Tunisians participated in two protest rallies, expressing their opposition to what they perceive as the authoritarian governance of President Kais Saied and calling for the release of political prisoners. Concurrently, six detained opposition leaders initiated a hunger strike.
These demonstrations underscore the escalating concerns among opposition groups regarding Saied’s suppression of dissent and his attempts to consolidate power, allegations that he refutes.
In 2021, Saied assumed additional powers by dissolving the elected parliament and ruling by decree, subsequently taking control of the judiciary. The opposition has characterized these actions as a coup.
Supporters of the Free Constitutional Party gathered in Tunis to advocate for the release of their imprisoned leader, Abir Moussi. Protesters chanted phrases like “Saied, dictator, your time is up,” and “Free Abir.”
One protester, Hayat Ayari, conveyed to Reuters, “What we are witnessing is genuine tyranny; there is no freedom for the opposition or the media. Speaking out can lead to imprisonment.”
In a separate rally in Tunis, hundreds of supporters from the Salvation Front also demanded the release of detained politicians, activists, and journalists.
According to their lawyers, six prominent opposition figures facing conspiracy charges have begun a hunger strike in prison to protest their upcoming trial. These individuals—Abdelhamid Jelassi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Khiyam Turki, Ridha Belhaj, Issam Chebbi, and Ghazi Chaouachi—were all arrested in 2023 during a crackdown on dissent and have refused to engage in what they deem an “unjust trial.”
In 2023, Saied labeled the detainees as “traitors and terrorists,” claiming that the judges who acquitted them were complicit. The detainees maintain their innocence and assert that they were working on a plan to unify Tunisia’s divided opposition.
Currently, many political party leaders are imprisoned, including two of Saied’s most notable adversaries, Moussi and Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda party.
