Tunisia police arrrest opposition figure Chaima Issa during protest

"Tunisian police have arrested prominent opposition figure Chaima Issa at a protest in the capital Tunis on Saturday, lawyers said. Issa was handed a 20-year sentence during the trial. They will arrest me shortly, Issa had told the Reuters news agency moments before her arrest. I say to the Tunisians, continue to protest and reject tyranny. We are sacrificing our freedom for you. She described the charges as unjust and politically motivated."

"The protest came after an appeals court on Friday handed jail terms of up to 45 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiracy to overthrow President Kais Saied. Police are also widely expected to arrest Najib Chebbi, the head of the opposition National Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition challenging Saied. He received a 12-year prison sentence, and opposition figure Ayachi Hammami received a five-year sentence."

"Human Rights Watch on Friday described the trial as a travesty of justice, saying it was political, unfair, and without the slightest evidence against the defendants. In a statement to the AFP news agency, the US-based rights group condemned the shameless instrumentalisation of the judiciary to eliminate Saied's opponents. Meanwhile, UK-based rights group Amnesty International said the ruling was an appalling indictment of the Tunisian justice system, condemning a relentless campaign to erode rights and silence dissent in Tunisia."

Chaima Issa was arrested at a protest in Tunis after receiving a 20-year sentence in an appeals court that handed jail terms to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring to overthrow President Kais Saied. The court issued sentences of up to 45 years. Issa said before her arrest that she expected detention, urged Tunisians to continue protesting and called the charges unjust and politically motivated. Police are expected to arrest Najib Chebbi (12 years) and Ayachi Hammami (five years). Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemned the trials as political, unfair, without evidence, and part of a campaign to erode rights and silence dissent. Saied suspended parliament in July 2021 and expanded executive power.

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