For the third consecutive week, hundreds of Tunisians flooded the streets of the capital, voicing escalating anger against President Kais Saied’s widening crackdown on dissent. Under banners reading “Opposition is not a crime” and “Free Tunisia,” the protesters demanded the release of scores of jailed opposition leaders, activists, and critics. This sustained mobilization highlights a deepening political crisis in the nation once hailed as the Arab Spring’s sole democratic success story, now facing what rights groups describe as a rapid descent into autocratic rule.
A Judiciary Under Fire: Long Sentences for Opposition Figures
The protests gained renewed intensity following a recent appeals court verdict that handed prison sentences of up to 45 years to dozens of opposition leaders, businesspeople, and lawyers on charges of “conspiracy” against the state. Critics, including international human rights organizations, have denounced the trials as politically motivated and a hallmark of increasingly authoritarian governance. The arrests of high-profile figures like Chaima Issa, Ayachi Hammami, and Nejib Chebbi in the same case have become rallying points for the opposition. “I have never seen a worse situation in Tunisia than today… Anyone who criticizes ends up in prison,” said Wahida Khaldi, the wife of jailed politician Ayachi Hammami.
Echoes of the Arab Spring and a Powerful Union’s Response
The demonstrations evoked memories of the 2011 revolution, with protesters chanting the iconic slogan, “The people want the fall of the regime.” This parallel underscores a widespread perception that the democratic gains of the past decade are being systematically undone. Adding significant weight to the civil resistance, Tunisia’s powerful UGTT union has called for a nationwide strike on January 21 to protest restrictions on rights and freedoms and to demand wage negotiations. This move signals a crucial broadening of the protest movement beyond political factions to include organized labor, posing a substantial challenge to Saied’s administration. The situation mirrors regional tensions where youth-led protests have voiced economic and political frustrations.
International Condemnation and a Rollback of Freedoms
Since President Saied’s 2021 power grab, in which he shut down parliament and began ruling by decree—a move opponents labeled a coup—rights groups have documented a severe rollback of civic freedoms. Dozens of critics have been prosecuted under broad charges, including under a 2022 decree criminalizing the “spreading of false news.” Amnesty International has condemned the recent arrests as part of a “blind and repressive escalation,” while Human Rights Watch’s Ahmed Benchemsi stated, “Fifteen years after the revolution, it is as if dictatorship has officially marked its return.” This crackdown on media and dissent has drawn parallels to pressures seen elsewhere in the region, such as crackdowns on independent media and concerns over legislation threatening press freedom.
