Police in the Tunisian capital arrested opposition figure Chaima Issa on Saturday, November 29, during a protest, according to lawyers present at the scene. The detention followed an appeals court decision a day earlier that upheld prison sentences for Issa and several other political figures charged with conspiracy against the state.
On Friday, an appeals court issued prison terms for a group of opposition leaders, lawyers, and business figures. Issa received a 20-year sentence in the ruling. Among others sentenced were Najib Chebbi, head of the National Salvation Front opposition coalition, who received a 12-year sentence, and opposition figure Ayachi Hammami, who was given a five-year sentence. The charges centered on accusations of conspiring to overthrow President Kais Saied.
Moments before her arrest, Issa spoke with the Reuters news agency. “They will arrest me shortly,” she said. “I say to the Tunisians, continue to protest and reject tyranny. We are sacrificing our freedom for you.” Issa described the charges against her as unjust and politically motivated.
Following Friday’s court ruling, international human rights organizations issued statements. Human Rights Watch described the trial as a “travesty of justice,” calling it “political, unfair, and without the slightest evidence” against the defendants. In a statement to the AFP news agency, the U.S.-based group commented on what it termed the “shameless instrumentalisation of the judiciary to eliminate Saied’s opponents.”
Amnesty International, a U.K.-based rights group, stated the ruling was “an appalling indictment of the Tunisian justice system.” The organization noted what it described as “a relentless campaign to erode rights and silence dissent” in the country.
The legal proceedings are set against a backdrop of political changes in Tunisia that began in July 2021. At that time, President Saied suspended parliament and expanded the powers of the executive office, allowing him to rule by decree. Many of these powers were later formalized in a new constitution approved in a 2022 referendum, which saw low voter turnout. Since 2021, a number of critics of the president have been detained.
President Saied has maintained that his actions are legal and necessary to address what he describes as years of corruption and political stagnation in the country.
