Tunisians protest against the President, detainees start food strike
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This follows a series of arrests that started in 2023, where Tunisian authorities arrested many of the President's political opponents and potential presidential candidates.
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In this photo provided by the Tunisian Presidency, Tunisia's President Kais Saied takes oath Monday, Oct.21, 2024 in Tunis following his re-election (AP)
Hundreds of Tunisians held two protests on Wednesday against what they described as the "authoritarian rule" of President Kais Saied, demanding the release of political prisoners, while six detained opposition figures began a hunger strike.
Supporters of the opposition "Free Constitutional Party" gathered in Tunis, demanding the release of their detained leader Abir Moussi, chanting slogans against President Saied, according to Reuters, while hundreds of supporters of the opposition "National Salvation Front" also held a separate protest in Tunis, calling for the release of detained politicians, activists, and journalists.
Six prominent detained opposition figures, accused of "conspiracy," have begun a hunger strike in prison to protest their upcoming trial, their lawyers said Wednesday.
The detained politicians—Abdelhamid Jelassi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Khayam Turki, Ridha Belhaj, Issam Chebbi, and Ghazi Chaouachi—who have been held since 2023, refused to participate in what they called an "unfair trial," denying any wrongdoing and stating they were working on an initiative to unite Tunisia's divided opposition.
Tunisian President imprisons political opponents
On February 5, 2025, a Tunisian court handed down prison sentences and fines to politicians and media figures in the high-profile "Instalingo" case, which involved a digital content company accused of wielding political and media influence, with most defendants affiliated with the Ennahda movement.
Among the most significant verdicts was the sentencing of Rached Ghannouchi, the 83-year-old leader of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda party, to an additional 22 years in prison on charges of "plotting against state security," with his lawyers denouncing the ruling as "harsh" and announcing plans to appeal.
In August of 2024, a Tunisian court has barred several potential presidential contenders from October's election, sentencing Abdel Latif Mekki, Nizar Chaari, Mourad Massoudi, and Adel Dou to eight months in prison for alleged vote-buying, while prominent opponent Abir Moussi received two years for "insulting the election commission"—moves critics call an effort to eliminate challengers to President Kais Saied, according to lawyer Mokhtar Jmai.
In July of the same year, another potential candidate, Lotfi Mraihi, was similarly sentenced to eight months in prison and banned from running on vote-buying charges.
Meanwhile, in 2023, On February 25, opposition figures Chaima Aissa and Jaouhar Ben Mbarek of the National Salvation Front, along with Issam Chebbi, leader of the Republican (Jomhouri) Party, were among 12 individuals detained by Tunisian authorities.
