Tunisian authorities detained prominent opposition activist Chaima Issa on Saturday while she demonstrated in the capital, just one day after an appeals court imposed heavy prison terms on several of President Kais Saied’s most vocal critics.
The arrest has intensified fears of a widening crackdown on dissent.
“They Will Arrest Me Shortly”
Standing beside recently condemned political figures, Issa told protesters she expected to be taken any moment. She called the 20-year sentence handed to her “purely political” and urged Tunisians to keep fighting what she labelled “dictatorial rule.”
Minutes later, police moved in and removed her from the crowd.
Wave of Severe Sentences
Friday’s appeals ruling delivered prison terms of up to 45 years to opposition politicians, lawyers and business leaders accused of plotting against the state. International rights organisations have condemned the verdicts as politically driven and the trials as unfair.
Roots of the Crisis
The current repression began in July 2021 when President Saied suspended parliament, dismissed the government and started ruling by decree. Since then, dozens of critics have been jailed. Saied insists his measures are constitutional and essential to clean up corruption and restore order after years of instability.
Opposition groups, however, describe the country as sliding back into authoritarianism.
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