Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Tunisia crackdown on opposition and media alarms rights groups

Tunisia crackdown on opposition and media alarms rights groups

Ten public figures arrested since Saturday as President Kais Saied pursues what Amnesty calls a repression of dissent
Rights groups have expressed grave alarm at a crackdown on opposition figures and the media in Tunisia, where 10 public figures have been arrested since Saturday as President Kais Saied seemingly moves to stamp out dissent.

“We’re witnessing the increasing repression of dissent in Tunisia,” said Amna Guellali, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and north Africa. “Saied is using all the resources of the state to signal his absolutist agenda. Anyone who opposes him, either politically or in the media, is at risk in this witch-hunt,” said Guellali, who is based in Tunisia’s capital, Tunis.

Those arrested in the past week include a prominent businessman, the director of a popular private radio station and members of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party. They are mainly critics of Saied, who in 2021 sacked the government, froze parliament and seized almost total power in moves rivals have called a coup.

The US, UN, Germany and others have also signalled their concern over the latest blow to the fragile democratic gains made in the birthplace of the Arab spring, where protests in 2011 ousted its autocratic leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

In a statement this week, the UN commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, expressed concern over the conspiratorial nature of many of the accusations against those arrested, including involvement in plots against the state.

On Thursday, members of the SNJT journalists’ union demonstrated against the arrests in Tunis and called for the release of Noureddine Boutar, the director general of the private radio station Mosaique FM.

“The authorities want to bring both private and public media into line, and [Boutar’s] arrest is an attempt to intimidate the whole sector,” the SNJT’s director, Mahdi Jlassi, said.

According to Boutar’s lawyers, police questioning focused on the station’s editorial policy, rather than the suspicion of any legal wrongdoing. Mosaique FM has often been critical of Saied, making it an outlier in a media environment where most titles and platforms either self-censor, or uncritically parrot the president’s attack lines.

“We have no plans to change our editorial line,” said Haythem el Mekki, a commentator on Mosaique’s popular midday programme, and an outspoken critic of Saied. “If we change now, it’s like admitting we’re guilty, or have been doing something wrong. We’re not doing it.”

Saied has hit back at the criticism, saying in a video posted on the presidency’s Facebook page on Thursday: “Has a single newspaper been shut down? Has a single programme been banned? Has a single journalist been prosecuted for anything relating to journalism?”

He also spoken out against criticism from abroad, saying: “We’re not occupied or a protectorate, we’re a sovereign state, and we know very well what we’re doing.”

Tunisia has been badly hit by economic troubles in recent months, fuelling anger towards Saied. Strikes have become commonplace, as have shortfalls in subsidised food staples such as pasta, coffee and sugar.

Economists have attributed many of the problems to delays in securing a desperately needed IMF bailout, but Saied has placed the blame on those who oppose him, accusing them of planning to foment social chaos.

Alongside the recent crackdown, Saied has been engaged in an ongoing battle with the country’s powerful UGTT union, which has also denounced the arrests. The union is planning a series of strikes over what it claims is a reneging by the government on earlier promises to raise public sector salaries during negotiations with the IMF.

While Saied still enjoys a measure of popular support, it has fallen significantly since his power grab in 2021, which was welcomed at the time by many Tunisians who were frustrated with political factionalism and inaction on the part of the legislature.

In a recent blow to his legitimacy, turnout in two rounds of voting for a new parliament and a redrafted constitution stood at just 8.8% and 11%.

The new constitution greatly reduces the prominence of Tunisia’s political parties, which have been characterised by Saied as enemies of the people.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
×