Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital on Friday to voice their opposition to President Kais Saied’s increasingly authoritarian rule. The protesters chanted “The people want the fall of the regime” to mark the four-year anniversary of Saied’s controversial power grab, criticizing his administration for turning the country into an “open-air prison.”
The demonstrators accused Saied’s “authoritarian regime” of imposing mass arrests and politically driven trials to suppress dissent. Under the banner “The Republic is a large prison,” the protesters, predominantly women, demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, journalists, and activists.
Saied’s power grab on July 25, 2021, saw him dissolve parliament, remove the prime minister, and begin ruling by decree, a move critics labeled as a coup. Since then, he has dismantled key judicial bodies, dismissed judges, and overseen the imprisonment of numerous opponents. Most prominent figures within the opposition, including Rached Ghannouchi and Abir Moussi, are currently behind bars.
A 2024 Amnesty International report highlighted that Tunisian authorities are employing vague legal charges to arrest government critics. Monia Ibrahim, the wife of jailed politician Abdelhamid Jelassi, stated that the goal of Friday’s protest was to restore democracy and secure the release of political detainees.
July 25, once celebrated as Republic Day, now symbolizes Saied’s anti-political class “July 25 Movement.” Samir Dilou, a former government minister, said that the significance of the day has transformed to represent the “dismantling” of Tunisia, emphasizing, “absolute power is absolute corruption.”
Edited by: Kate Hairsine
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/tunisians-call-for-the-fall-of-authoritarian-regime/a-73420151?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
