Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

Tunisia sees rival protests as political crisis, crackdown deepen

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 1 May 2025 22:13
3 Min Read

Opposition protests erupt in Tunis over President Kais Saied's crackdown on dissent, following the arrest of lawyer Ahmed Souab and growing fears that Tunisia’s democracy is eroding.

Listen
  • x
  • Tunisia
    Tunisians lift placards and banners during a rally against President Kais Saied in Tunis on May 1, 2025 (AFP)

Opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied took to the streets of the capital, Tunis, on Thursday, denouncing what they describe as increasingly authoritarian rule.

Meanwhile, supporters of the president held a counter rally, reflecting the country’s deepening political divide.

The protests come amid a broader Tunisian political crisis, with human rights organizations expressing growing concern over the crackdown on dissent and the erosion of democratic institutions.

Opposition demonstrators condemn authoritarian drift

Thursday's protest marked the second major opposition-led demonstration within a week. Protesters chanted slogans such as “Saied go away, you are dictator” and “The people want the fall of the regime,” echoing the rallying cries that led to the 2011 ousting of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Demonstrators began their march at the Administrative Court headquarters, where prominent lawyer and former judge Ahmed Souab once served, before heading toward Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Souab’s recent arrest has become a rallying point for critics of the president.

Related News

Iran, Tunisia to expand cooperation, unite against Israeli aggression

Tunisia lawyer critical of president receives two-year prison sentence

The protest was a direct response to what the opposition calls an escalating Tunisian opposition crackdown. Souab’s detention followed the sentencing of several opposition figures on conspiracy charges, moves that have drawn sharp rebukes from France, Germany, and the United Nations.

Saied’s supporters rally in defense of the president

In a parallel demonstration on the same avenue, supporters of Saied chanted slogans such as “No to foreign interference” and “The people want Saied again.”

Riot police were deployed in large numbers to prevent clashes between rival groups, but confrontations were reported.

Crackdown on critics draws international concern

Souab’s arrest is only the latest in a wave of detentions targeting Saied’s critics. Leaders from nearly all major political parties are now behind bars, including Abir Moussi of the Free Constitutional Party and Rached Ghannouchi of the Ennahda movement.

France, Germany, and the United Nations have all voiced concerns over Tunisia’s deteriorating political climate. However, Saied has rejected such criticism, branding it as unwarranted interference in Tunisia’s internal affairs and a threat to national sovereignty.

Tunisia's political crisis escalated in 2021 when Saied dissolved the elected parliament and began ruling by decree. He later moved to take control of the judiciary, prompting accusations from the opposition that he had launched a coup against the post-2011 democratic framework.

While critics argue that Tunisia’s democracy is under threat, Saied maintains that his actions were legal and necessary to restore national stability and dismantle a deeply entrenched system of corruption.

Despite the mounting concerns, Saied insists he does not seek authoritarian power but aims to hold corrupt elites accountable and return Tunisia to order.

Read more: UN Rights Chief condemns Tunisia's mass sentencing

  • Kais Saied
  • Tunisia

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS