Tunisians rallied on Sunday to defy a protest ban, demanding
the release of over 20 prominent political figures who opposed the Tunisian
president Kais Saied.
More than 20 political figures were arrested in recent
weeks. This includes members of the main opposition party of Tunisia, the
National Salvation Front (NSF) and its key component, the Islamist-leaning
Ennahdha party.
On Sunday, hundreds of Tunisian protesters chanted, “Freedom
for the detainees.” They waved Tunisian flags and pictures of detainees who
were arrested in recent weeks. They denounced Saied’s power grab of the country
as a “coup.” They demanded the release of the detained detainees.
Dozens of people marched toward Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the
central thoroughfare of Tunis. Subsequently, the crowd increased to 500. A
policeman urged them to stop the protest. A protester reportedly said, “We will
not stop until democracy and institutions return.”
Saied accused the arrested political figures of practising
“terrorism” and causing recurrent food shortages in Tunisia. However, Amnesty
International, an international non-governmental organisation, called the
arrests of the political figures a “politically motivated witch hunt.”
In 2021, President Saied sacked the government and froze
parliament. In 2022, he issued a decree dissolving parliament. Islamist Ennahda
coalition rejected Saied's move to dissolve parliament in order to lead the
country.
Saied's opponents accused him of a coup when he suspended
the parliament, sacked the government, and took emergency powers. He introduced
changes to the political system of the country. Opposition political parties
and civil society groups continue to reject Saied’s power grab of the country.
Tunisia's powerful UGTT union also slammed Saied in recent
weeks. UGTT chief Noureddine Taboubi accused Saied of targeting the union. He
urged an end to Saied's accumulation of powers.
On Saturday, people also protested against deteriorating
economic conditions in Tunisia. The economic crisis has been deepening since 2021
when Tunisian President Saied dissolved the parliament.