Hundreds of opposition activists gathered in the capital of Tunisia, accusing the current president of the North African country, Kais Saied, of repression and demanding the release of political prisoners, eyewitnesses reported, quoted by DPA and BTA.
The protest in the center of the capital, Tunisia, took place last night, on the fourth anniversary of Saied's announcement of measures that the opposition called a "coup".
In July 2021. Saied consolidated his power by dissolving parliament, dominated by the Islamist Ennahda movement, and firing the then prime minister.
His actions led to a new, significantly weakened legislature.
Saied, who took office in 2019, also produced a controversial constitutional referendum that gave him broader powers.
Dozens of people have since been arrested, including opposition politicians and journalists, on charges of corruption and conspiracy against state security.
The opposition has said the charges are politically motivated.
Protesters, including families of political prisoners, gathered on the iconic Habib Bourguiba Boulevard yesterday in the center of the capital Tunis.
They accused the judiciary of obeying the dictates of the authorities in cases against opposition figures.
Some protesters chanted: “Freedom! Freedom! No to the judiciary on instructions!“
Carrying a symbolic cage during the protest, Abdelaziz Chebbi, son of the imprisoned leader of the opposition Republican Party Issam Chebbi, condemned what he called "difficult" prison conditions.
“The situation in prisons is very difficult. There is overcrowding and a risk of disease spreading. "However, Issam Chebbi's spirit is high," Abdelaziz told DPA.