Tunisians protest aginst President Saied, call country an ‘open-air prison'
TUNIS (Reuters) -Hundreds of Tunisian activists protested in the capital on Friday against President Kais Saied, denouncing his rule as an "authoritarian regime" that has turned the country into an 'open-air prison'.
Under the slogan 'The Republic is a large prison,' protesters marched along Habib Bourguiba Avenue. They demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, journalists, and activists.
The protest marked the fourth anniversary of Saied's power grab. In 2021, he dissolved the elected parliament and started ruling by decree, a move the opposition called a coup.
They chanted slogans such as 'no fear, no terror ... streets belong to the people' and 'The people want the fall of the regime'.
The protesters said Tunisia under Saied has descended into authoritarianism, with mass arrests and politically motivated trials silencing dissent.
"Our first aim is to battle against tyranny to restore the democracy and to demand the release of the political detainees," Monia Ibrahim, wife of imprisoned politician Abdelhamid Jelassi, told Reuters.
In 2022, Saied dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move the opposition said was aimed to cement one-man rule.
Saied said he does not interfere in the judiciary, but no one is above accountability, regardless of their name or position.
Most prominent opposition leaders are in prison, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist Ennahda party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party.
They are among dozens of politicians, lawyers, and journalists facing lengthy prison sentences under anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws.
Others have fled the country, seeking asylum in Western countries.
In 2023, Saied said the politicians were "traitors and terrorists" and that judges who would acquit them were their accomplices.
"Prisons are crowded with Saied's opponents, activists, journalists," said Saib Souab, son of Ahmed Souab, the imprisoned lawyer Ahmed Souab who is a critical voice of Saied.
"Tunisia has turned into an open-air prison. ... Even those not behind bars live in a state of temporary freedom, constantly at risk of arrest for any reason.", he added.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by David Gregorio)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
39 minutes ago
- The Star
US, NATO developing novel funding mechanism for Ukraine weapons transfers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and NATO are working on a novel approach to supply Ukraine with weapons using funds from NATO countries to pay for the purchase or transfer of U.S. arms, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The renewed transatlantic cooperation on Ukraine comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with Moscow's ongoing attacks on its neighbor. Trump, who initially took a more conciliatory tone toward Russia as he tried to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine, has threatened to start imposing tariffs and other measures if Moscow shows no progress toward ending the conflict by August 8. The president said last month the U.S. would supply weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but did not indicate how this would be done. NATO countries, Ukraine, and the United States are developing a new mechanism that will focus on getting U.S. weapons to Ukraine from the Priority Ukraine Requirements List, known under the acronym PURL, the sources said. Ukraine would prioritize the weapons it needs intranches of roughly $500 million, and NATO allies - coordinated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte - would then negotiate among themselves who would donate or pay for items on the list. Through this approach, NATOallies hope to provide $10 billion in arms for Ukraine, said a European official, speaking on condition of anonymity. It was unclear over what timeframe they hope to supply the arms. "That is the starting point, and it's an ambitious target that we're working towards. We're currently on that trajectory. We support the ambition. We need that sort of volume," the European official said. NATO declined to comment. The White House, Pentagon, and Ukrainian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Russian forces are gradually advancing against Ukraine, and control one-fifth of Ukraine's territory. FASTER ARMS RESTOCKING If a NATO country decides to donate weapons to Ukraine, the mechanism would allow that country to effectively bypass lengthy U.S. arms sales procedures to replenish its own stocks, said one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. But the NATO country would have to pay the U.S. up front for the speedier replenishment. The money would be paid into a U.S.-held account, possibly at the U.S. Treasury Department, or to an escrow fund, although the exact structure remains unclear, the official said. NATO countries also have the option of simply paying the United States to send weapons directly to Ukraine. In that case, the payment could be made via NATO or directly to the U.S. Department of Defense, said a second source, speaking on condition of anonymity. This would be in addition to the United States' own effort to identify arms from U.S. stockpiles to send to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the U.S. president to draw from current weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency. At least one tranche of weapons for Ukraine is currently being negotiatedunder the new mechanism, two sources said, though it was unclear if any money has yet been transferred. Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress have introduced legislation, known as the PEACE Act, that aims to create a fund at the U.S. Treasury in which allies can deposit money that would pay to replenish U.S. military equipment donated to Ukraine. Ukraine's needs remain consistent with previous months - air defenses, interceptors, systems, rockets, and artillery. The last statement of need from Ukraine came at the July 21 Ramstein conference led by EU allies, including Britain. (Reporting by Gram Slattery, Mike Stone, Phil Stewart in Washington; additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington and Andrew Gray in Brussels; editing by Michelle Nichols and Rod Nickel)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Colombia ex-president sentenced to 12 years of house arrest, document shows
Colombia's former president Alvaro Uribe speaks during a news conference in Bogota, Colombia, April 18, 2024. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo BOGOTA (Reuters) -Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be sentenced on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, according to a document seen by Reuters and a source with knowledge of the matter. Uribe was convicted of the two charges on Monday by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia in a witness-tampering case that has run for about 13 years. He has always maintained his innocence. The information, also published by local media, came hours ahead of the hearing where Heredia will read the sentence in court. Uribe will be fined $578,000 in the case, the document showed. The conviction made him the country's first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial and came less than a year before Colombia's 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe's allies and proteges are competing for top office. It could also have implications for Colombia's relationship with the U.S.: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week Uribe's conviction is a "weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges" and analysts have said there could be cuts to U.S. aid in response. Uribe, 73, and his supporters have always said the process is a persecution, while his detractors have celebrated it as deserved comeuppance for a man who has been accused for decades of close ties with violent right-wing paramilitaries but never convicted of any crime until now. (Reporting by Carlos Vargas and Luis Jaime Acosta, additional reporting by Nelson BocanegraWriting by Julia Symmes Cobb)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Trump orders nuclear submarines moved near Russia
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks after signing the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in regions near Russia in response to threats from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said in a social media post that called Medvedev's statements highly provocative. He said he ordered the submarines moved "just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances." Trump and Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, traded taunts in recent days after Trump on Tuesday said Russia had "10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit, along with its oil buyers, with tariffs. Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has shown no sign that it will comply with Trump's deadline. Medvedev on Monday accused Trump of engaging in a "game of ultimatums" and reminded him that Russia possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort after Trump told Medvedev to "watch his words." Medvedev has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles. (Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
