Supporters of Tunisian President Kais Saied conducted a morning demonstration today, Sunday, on Habib Bourguiba Street in the capital Tunis, mirroring events in the states of Béja and Sidi Bouzid.
According to Radio Mosaique, the demonstrators held up banners and slogans carrying messages including “The People Want Kais Saied”, “Yes to Accountability, No to Foreign Intervention”, and “The People Demand National Sovereignty”.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has transitioned his rhetoric from a warning phase to implementation, tasking his country’s foreign ministry with summoning a number of foreign ambassadors to convey Tunisia’s protest against external interference in its internal affairs.
This escalation comes in response to stances taken by some foreign countries expressing reservations about recent arrests, which included lawyers, journalists, and human rights activists, followed by protest movements in the streets.
This marks the second time Saied has called on foreign ambassadors to respect his country’s national sovereignty. In April, during his oversight of a meeting of the Tunisian National Security Council, the President stated, “It is necessary to invite a number of foreign ambassadors to ask their capitals not to interfere in Tunisia’s internal affairs,” adding, “Those who want to establish friendly relations are welcome, but those who believe they can exert their influence over us are mistaken.”
The French Foreign Ministry, in a statement posted on its official website, expressed “concern” over the arrest of lawyer and journalist Sonia Dhaouadi, which was part of a series of arrests, including journalists and association members.
A series of arrests targeting activists in the field of migration has raised concerns among Tunisian circles about the tightening grip on civil society activities, coinciding with the parliament’s consideration of a legislative initiative aimed at amending the decree regulating associations.
In recent times, Tunisian authorities have detained activists within associations dealing with migration, including the detention of Saadia Mosbah, president of the “Manamti” association, and Sherifa Al-Riahi, former director of the organization “Tunis, Land of Asylum”.
Prior to this, Tunisian authorities issued arrest warrants against the president and vice president of the “Tunisian Refugee Council” for their role in issuing a call for tenders to house irregular migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tunisian President Kais Saied has sharply criticized some migration-focused associations, accusing them of receiving “large sums of money from abroad”, adding that “those who run these associations are mostly traitors and agents,” and that “the financial analysis body should play its role.”
