Some 300 protesters rallied in Tunis Tuesday to mark the second anniversary of President Kais Saied's adoption of sweeping powers and demand the release of some 20 detained opposition figures. People lift placards demanding the release of political prisoners during an anti-government demonstration organised by the opposition National Salvation Front coalition in Tunis on July 25, 2023. Writer Chaima Issa and former minister Lazhar Akremi were released earlier this month but the others remain in custody despite the appeals of human rights groups. “Decree by decree, blow by blow, President Saied and his government have dramatically undermined respect for human rights in Tunisia since his power grab in July 2021," Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa director, Heba Morayef, said in a statement. "In doing so, he has stripped away basic freedoms that Tunisians fought hard to earn and fostered a climate of repression and impunity."

Source: The North Africa Journal July 25, 2023 12:55 UTC