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Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital on Friday to rally against President Kais Saied, accusing him of authoritarianism and describing the country as an “open-air prison”. The demonstration, which coincided with the fourth anniversary of Saied’s power consolidation, drew significant crowds to Habib Bourguiba Avenue under the slogan “The Republic is a large prison”.
The demonstrators demanded the immediate release of imprisoned opposition figures, journalists, and civil society activists. Chants such as “no fear, no terror … the streets belong to the people” and “the people want the fall of the regime” echoed through the heart of Tunis as demonstrators voiced their anger over what they see as the steady erosion of democratic freedoms.
President Saied came to power in 2019 but drew widespread criticism in 2021 when he dissolved Tunisia’s elected parliament and began ruling by decree, a move widely condemned by opposition groups as a coup. Many protesters on Friday said the country has since slid into repressive rule, with mass arrests and trials being used to stifle dissent.
“Our first aim is to battle against tyranny, to restore democracy and demand the release of political detainees,” said Monia Ibrahim, whose husband, opposition figure Abdelhamid Jelassi, is among those behind bars.
Since 2022, Saied has taken further steps to centralise power, including disbanding the independent Supreme Judicial Council and dismissing dozens of judges — measures critics say were designed to tighten his grip on the judiciary. Saied has denied interfering in judicial affairs but insists that no individual is above the law.
Dozens of opposition leaders, lawyers and journalists have been jailed under Tunisia’s anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws, including prominent political figures like Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahda party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party. Others have fled the country in fear of arrest, seeking refuge in Western nations.
In 2023, Saied labelled these politicians as “traitors and terrorists” and accused judges who might acquit them of complicity. For many Tunisians, such rhetoric reinforces a climate of fear.
“Prisons are crowded with Saied’s opponents — activists, journalists,” said Saib Souab, son of imprisoned lawyer and outspoken government critic Ahmed Souab. “Tunisia has turned into an open-air prison. Even those not behind bars live in a state of temporary freedom, always under threat of arrest.”
