Thousands of Tunisians filled the streets of the capital, Tunis, on Friday to protest what they call the countries slide into dictatorship under President Kais Saied.
Marking four years since Saied’s controversial power grab on July 25, 2021, demonstrators carried portraits of jailed politicians, lawyers, and journalists. Many held up a metal cage, a symbol of what they describe as a country where democracy is caged and freedom is fading.
“Tunisia has become a large open-air prison,” protesters chanted, echoing a growing sentiment that no one is truly free—even those outside of prison walls.
On July 25, 2021, President Saied stunned the country by suspending parliament, dismissing the prime minister, and granting himself extraordinary powers under a state of emergency. While some Tunisians initially welcomed his actions as a way to end political gridlock and corruption, critics say it was the beginning of autocracy.
Since then, dozens of opposition figures—including Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahdha Party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party have been arrested under broad anti-terror and conspiracy laws.
Many more have fled into exile, and those still in Tunisia live in what activists call a climate of fear.
The government has targeted political opponents, civil society leaders, and journalists. In 2022, Saied dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges. He denied interference in the courts, but critics said it was a clear move to remove any checks on his power.
“Even those who are not behind bars live in fear,” said Saib Souab, son of a jailed lawyer. “Any criticism can lead to arrest.”
In 2023, President Saied went further, labeling his opponents as “traitors and terrorists” and threatening judges who might acquit them.
On Friday, demonstrators many of them families of prisoners marched through central Tunis waving banners that read “No fear, no terror… the streets belong to the people” and “The people want the fall of the regime.”
“We are fighting to bring back democracy,” said Monia Ibrahim, wife of imprisoned politician Abdelhamid Jelassi. “Our goal is to free our loved ones and our country.”
Others carried signs with slogans like “July 25 used to mark the Republic’s birth. Now, it marks its death.”
Tunisia was once seen as the sole success story of the Arab Spring, the only country where a popular uprising led to democratic reforms. But today, many feel that progress has been reversed.
“July 25 was the day the Republic was born,” said former government minister Samir Dilou. “Now, it’s the day it began to die.”
Despite the protests and growing criticism at home and abroad, President Saied remains firm. He continues to govern largely by decree, and there are no signs he plans to ease his grip on power.
The protest comes amid a broader wave of repression across North Africa and the Middle East, where dissent is increasingly criminalized and freedoms restricted. But for Tunisians, the stakes feel especially high because they had democracy, and watched it slip away.
For now, the people in the streets are holding on to hope.
“We were the spark of the Arab Spring,” one protester said. “And we can be the spark again.”
