Tunisian police detained opposition figure Olfa Hamdi on her arrival at the country's main airport on Tuesday, local media reported, citing Reuters. The agency said it was the latest crackdown on a critic of President Kais Saied.
Hamdi, leader of the Third Republic party, was detained shortly after disembarking from a plane, reports said. She lives abroad and was previously chief executive of Tunisia's national carrier, Tunisair. Hamdi has repeatedly criticized Saied's rule and called for a transitional government and early presidential elections.
The opposition described the arrest as part of a broader crackdown on dissent at a time when Tunisia has faced deepening polarization since Saied consolidated sweeping powers in 2021, a move that critics have denounced as a coup.
The authorities did not immediately comment on the arrest. Reuters was unable to reach Saied's lawyer or her family.
Many opposition leaders, along with activists and journalists, are behind bars, with critics accusing Saied of turning Tunisia into a prison. Saied denies the charges, insisting he is not a dictator and that the law applies to everyone, regardless of their position.