Tunisians protest against President Saied after a crackdown on critics

26/4/2025 6:29

Tunisians took to the streets on Friday in a mass protest demanding democracy, freedoms, and an end to arbitrary detention of critics and opponents, escalating pressure on President Kais Saied's government.



The government has come under widespread criticism for a crackdown on dissent following the arrest of prominent lawyer Ahmed Souab, and prison sentences against opposition leaders on conspiring charges last week.



Under the slogan "Free Tunisia, Free Ahmed Souab," protesters marched from the headquarters of the Journalists' union and reached Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the capital, where hundreds of riot police were deployed.



They chanted slogans such as, "It's your turn, Saied, dictator," and "The people want the fall of the regime," a slogan chanted by protesters in 2011 when former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted by weeks of protests.