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Hundreds Rally in Tunis — 'Opposition Is Not A Crime' as Protesters Demand Release of Jailed Activists

03:31 AM, 12/07/2025
Hundreds Rally in Tunis — 'Opposition Is Not A Crime' as Protesters Demand Release of Jailed Activists

Hundreds gathered in Tunis under the slogan "opposition is not a crime" to demand the release of jailed activists after three opposition figures were arrested and convicted of "conspiracy." Rights groups say freedoms have been sharply curtailed since President Saied's 2021 power grab, citing prosecutions under terrorism charges and a 2022 law banning "spreading false news." Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the arrests as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

Hundreds Rally in Tunis Calling For Release Of Jailed Activists

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday in Tunisia's capital, Tunis, to protest government actions and demand the release of activists currently behind bars. Marchers carried banners reading "opposition is not a crime" and held up portraits of detained opposition figures.

The demonstration followed the recent arrests and convictions of three opposition figures on charges described by authorities as "conspiracy" against the state. Rights groups say the arrests are part of a wider pattern of repression since President Kais Saied consolidated power in 2021.

Tunisia — widely seen as the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings — has seen what rights organisations call a steep rollback of freedoms. Dozens of Saied's critics have been prosecuted or imprisoned, including on terrorism-related charges and under a 2022 law that outlaws "spreading false news." Protesters at the rally carried portraits of several detained opponents as a visible sign of dissent.

"Since the coup, things have changed completely. We've seen our freedoms taken away gradually, even though we did have a revolution," said Hager Chebbi, daughter of opposition figure Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, who is among those recently arrested. "It's a descent into hell," she told AFP.

Amnesty International described the trial and arrests as part of a "blind and repressive escalation" by authorities targeting dissenting voices. Ahmed Benchemsi, Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa spokesman, told AFP: "Fifteen years after the revolution, it is as if dictatorship has officially marked its return."

The rally underscores continuing tensions in Tunisia over the limits of political dissent and freedom of expression. The demonstration was peaceful, according to eyewitness reports, but comes amid growing international concern about the country's political direction.

Reporting: AFP

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