Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of Tunis, to protest against President Kais Saied, accusing his administration of eroding civil liberties and failing to address the country’s deepening economic and social challenges.
The demonstrators marched under the slogan, “The people are hungry and prisons are full,” expressing growing frustration over rising hardship, unemployment and the arrest of critics and opposition figures.
Protesters said the country was facing worsening living conditions amid increasing political tension, while calling for greater freedoms and urgent economic reforms.
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Demonstrators called for an end to one-man rule and carried banners denouncing arrests of politicians, journalists and civil society figures, amid concerns of a widening crackdown on dissent.
Protesters also criticised what they said was Saied’s failure to tackle the economic crisis, while using the judiciary and police to silence critics.
Tunisia is facing acute economic strain, with sluggish growth, soaring prices, shortages of medicines and some food, financing pressures, and deteriorating public services.
Saied, who dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in 2022, has faced mounting criticism from rights groups over what they say is the dismantling of the post-2011 democratic system.
He rejects those accusations, saying his measures are necessary to save the country from chaos and corruption.
The bar association has called for strikes in coming days over erosion of judicial independence, while the journalists’ union plans protests against the jailing of journalists and restrictions on press freedom.
Authorities say they are enforcing the law and reject accusations of political repression.
Reuters
