Chaima Issa, a leading opposition figure in Tunis, was detained by police on Saturday November 29th while participating in a protest a day after an appeals court handed long prison sentences to multiple opposition leaders, businesspeople and lawyers.
The sentences, some reaching 45 years, were issued on charges of conspiracy to overthrow Kais Saied. Issa herself was given a 20‑year prison term. Her arrest has been widely viewed by critics as part of an escalating crackdown on dissent.
Just before her arrest, Issa urged the Tunisian people to continue protesting and reject what she described as tyranny, calling the charges against her politically motivated.
Human‑rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have condemned the trial and the subsequent arrests, arguing that this represents a broader rollback of freedoms under Saied’s government which has suspended parliament and expanded executive powers since 2021.
More arrests are expected as the authorities intensify efforts to suppress opposition voices and silence critics.
