Opposition politician Noureddine Bhiri, an important critic of President Kais Saied, was arrested in Tunisia on Monday. It is the latest in a wave of arrests of opponents of Saied that began two days ago, Reuters news agency reported. Bhiri is part of Ennahda, Tunisia’s largest opposition party, and was also arrested at the end of 2021.
Other critics of President Saied have also been arrested in recent days. At least two other opposition politicians, the head of independent radio station Mosaique FM, two judges who were sacked last year, and a businessman were arrested in recent days. Authorities say the arrests are related to a “conspiracy against state security”.
Public confidence in Saied’s leadership, who came to power in 2019, is extremely low. Concerns about democratic rights in the country have been growing since 2021, since Saied has been taking more and more power. Saied dissolved parliament in March last year. Even then, he justified that decision with an investigation into “conspiracies” against the security of the state. In the most recent national election, in December 2022, only 9 percent of eligible voters turned out. The elections were widely boycotted.
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