Scores of demonstrators took to the streets of Tunis yesterday, demanding the release of political prisoners in Tunisia. Under the banner “No judiciary, no law. Honourable people in prisons,” protesters gathered outside the Court of Cassation in the capital.
The demonstration was organised by the National Salvation Front, a coalition of five opposition parties critical of President Kais Saied.
“We stand here today to defend the political prisoners who have been jailed for nearly two years and are suffering in their prison cells,” said Riyadh Chouaibi, political adviser to Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahda Movement.
Chouaibi noted that more than 50 individuals, including prominent politicians, remain detained on charges of conspiring against the state. Those imprisoned include Jawhar Bin Mubarak, a member of the National Salvation Front, Issam Chebbi, Secretary-General of the Republican Party, and Abdel-Hamid Jalasi, a senior leader in Ennahda.
While President Saied accuses opposition figures of conspiring against the state and exacerbating Tunisia’s crises, his critics accuse him of targeting political rivals and stifling dissent, particularly since July 2021, when he dismissed the government and dissolved parliament.
Tunisia has been mired in political turmoil since then, with the crisis compounding the nation’s economic woes.
