Hundreds of citizens gathered in Tunisia’s capital city on Saturday to voice their opposition to President Kais Saied, charging him with eroding civil liberties while overseeing a deepening economic and social crisis.
The demonstration took place under the rallying cry: “The people are hungry and prisons are full”.
Those who gathered demanded an end to authoritarian leadership and displayed signs condemning the detention of political figures, media workers and community activists, as worries grow about an expanding campaign against opposition voices.
Rally participants also condemned what they characterized as Saied’s inability to address the nation’s economic troubles, while employing courts and law enforcement to suppress opposition.
The North African nation is experiencing severe economic difficulties, including stagnant economic expansion, rising costs, medical and food supply shortages, budget constraints, and declining government services.
Saied, who disbanded the legislative body and started governing through executive orders in 2022, has encountered increasing condemnation from human rights organizations regarding what they describe as the destruction of the democratic framework established after 2011.
Saied dismisses these charges, stating his actions are essential to rescue the nation from disorder and corruption.
The legal profession has announced work stoppages in upcoming days over the weakening of court independence, while the media workers’ organization is planning demonstrations against the imprisonment of reporters and limits on news media freedoms.
Government officials maintain they are upholding legal standards and deny claims of political persecution.
