DistantNews
Support us
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Elections & Politics

Hundreds Protest in Tunisia Against President Kais Saied’s Policies

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Hundreds of people demonstrated in Tunis against President Kais Saied’s government, citing restrictions on freedoms, weak judicial independence and shortages of water, electricity and medicine.
  • Opposition groups and civil society organizations called for Saied’s resignation and the release of political prisoners.
  • The protest followed the arrest of journalist Mohamed Yousfi, which his defense and Tunisia’s journalists’ union disputed as politically motivated.

“Resign, the game is over,” hundreds of demonstrators shouted in Tunis as they demanded an immediate end to President Kais Saied’s government. The protesters accused the authorities of allowing Tunisia’s crisis to deepen while basic services decline and freedoms shrink.

The demonstration, called by the Nafas nongovernmental organization, brought together political groups and opposition coalitions including the National Salvation Front, the Islamist Ennahda movement and the Republican Party. Participants carried signs reading “No politics, no planning,” “A corrupt authority, a bleeding people,” “Tunisia is a big prison” and “Freedom for the Tunisian press.”

Resign, the game is over.

· ProtestersThe chant expressed demonstrators’ demand for President Kais Saied to leave office.

They criticized restrictions on civil liberties, the lack of judicial independence and what they described as the unstoppable deterioration of water and electricity services, as well as medicine shortages. Protesters called on Saied to resign, saying his government could not resolve the country’s escalating crisis. Saied has faced broad opposition since 2021, when, after two years in office, he assumed full powers and reworked the political system and Constitution.

No politics, no planning.

· ProtestersOne of the slogans on signs criticized the government’s management of the country.

Since then, civil society groups and opposition members have accused the authorities of repressing activism, limiting freedoms and violating human rights. Activists, politicians, businesspeople, journalists and other professionals have been detained and given lengthy prison sentences, in some cases lasting up to 45 years.

The latest reported arrest involved journalist Mohamed Yousfi, who was detained Saturday on alleged illicit-enrichment charges. His defense denied the accusation, saying he owns only an apartment in a modest neighborhood and a car bought with a bank loan. The National Union of Tunisian Journalists said the arrest stemmed from his independent reporting and interviews, which regularly included criticism of the authorities. Protesters displayed his name and photograph and demanded his immediate release, along with that of other political prisoners. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also reported intensified repression of the press, dissent and critical voices since Saied took full powers.

A corrupt authority, a bleeding people.

· ProtestersThe slogan condemned the authorities and the effects protesters associate with their policies.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog