‘Open-Air Prison’: Tunisians Rise Against President Saied’s Tightening Grip on Power

Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital, Tunis, on Friday to protest what they described as President Kais Saied’s growing authoritarianism.

Demonstrators marked the fourth anniversary of Saied’s controversial power grab by condemning what they say is a systematic dismantling of democracy and repression of dissenting voices.

Waving banners and chanting slogans such as “The Republic is a large prison” and “The people want the fall of the regime,” protesters demanded the release of high-profile political prisoners.

Among them are Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahdha party, and Abir Moussi of the Free Constitutional Party.

Both of them are prominent figures in the political opposition who have been jailed under laws critics say are being used to silence dissent.

The protest commemorated July 25, a date that now carries deep political symbolism.

On that day in 2021, President Saied suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister, and assumed sweeping executive powers under a state of emergency.

While his supporters praised the move as a necessary correction to years of political stagnation, critics described it as a constitutional coup that ushered in one-man rule.

Saied has since ruled largely by decree, with his administration accused of orchestrating politically motivated arrests and staging trials against opposition leaders, civil society activists, and journalists.

Many of those targeted have either been imprisoned under vague anti-terror and conspiracy laws or have fled Tunisia seeking refuge abroad.

Monia Ibrahim, the wife of jailed political figure Abdelhamid Jelassi, spoke at the protest, saying the movement’s goal is to resist authoritarianism and to fight for the release of political detainees.

“Our first aim is to battle against tyranny to restore democracy,” she told Reuters.

A symbolic cage was carried through the protest march, which organizers said illustrated the shrinking space for political freedom in Tunisia.

Protesters held up portraits of jailed political figures as a reminder of the human cost of Saied’s crackdown.

Saib Souab, son of prominent lawyer and government critic Ahmed Souab, himself behind bars, said the situation extends beyond those in prison.

“Tunisia has turned into an open-air prison,” he told reporters.

“Even those who are not jailed live in constant fear of arrest.”

In 2022, Saied dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges.

While he claimed the judiciary was not above the law, critics saw the move as part of a broader effort to erode institutional checks and consolidate his control.

The president later described opposition politicians as “traitors and terrorists,” warning that any judge who acquitted them would be considered their accomplice.

Friday’s protests coincided with the anniversary of Tunisia’s declaration as a republic in 1957.

It is a date that once symbolized national unity and democratic promise.

In recent years, however, it has been repurposed by Saied’s supporters, including the pro-Saied “July 25 Movement,” which advocates a tough stance against the country’s largely discredited political elite.

But for many in the opposition, July 25 now marks something darker.

“It used to be a celebration of the Republic’s founding,” said Samir Dilou, a former government minister and Ennahdha member.

“Now, it represents its undoing. Absolute power leads to absolute corruption.”

Tunisia, long considered a rare success story of the Arab Spring uprisings, is increasingly viewed as a democracy in decline.

Once a beacon of post-revolutionary progress, the nation now faces mounting concerns about the erosion of civil liberties, the independence of its judiciary, and the future of political pluralism.

Despite these challenges, Friday’s protest demonstrated that resistance to Saied’s rule persists, even amid fear and repression.

As one protester shouted, “No fear, no terror … the streets belong to the people,” the message was clear: Tunisia’s struggle for freedom and accountability is far from over.

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