Tunisians Protest In Tunis For Press Freedom And Release Of Political Prisoners

A protest march in Tunisia’s capital on Friday evening under the slogan 'Show the results of your rule' demanded the protection of rights and freedoms, the release of political prisoners, and the repeal of repressive laws.

The demonstrators started from Martyr Mohamed Brahmi Square and reached Mohammed V Street, with the National Salvation Front, the Democratic Current Party, Afek Tounes, the Republican Party, the Free Constitutional Party, the Hak Movement, the Al-Qutb Party, and other parties joining human rights activists.

Al Jazeera

In parallel, a conference organized on Saturday by the Al Joumhouri party at the party’s headquarters, which also houses the editorial offices of the Al Mawqif newspaper, featured testimonies on the social, economic and psychological consequences of detention.

The conference, titled Beyond the Bars: Untold Stories, included Romdhane Ben Amor, spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), who provided a critical analysis of the evolution of public freedoms and of the political and judicial climate in Tunisia.

Wisam Al-Saghir, spokesperson for the Republican Party, told The New Arab that there is a need to review the authorities' track record, including in health and living and social conditions, and said the authorities have only managed to create a division in society between supporters and opponents.

He also said the judicial rulings against the Ennahda Movement, which have reached life imprisonment, 'cannot be considered anything other than an attempt to occupy public opinion to cover up the failure and the real problems the country faces.'

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Hossam Al-Hami, coordinator of the Samood Coalition, said in an interview with The New Arab that 'today's mass turnout is the result of the reality we live in—a climate of fear, the suppression of freedoms, and fear of expression due to Decree 54.'

In the Al Joumhouri conference, Romdhane Ben Amor argued that repression no longer stops at the prison walls but extends to families, saying these families bear the full brunt of the economic, social and psychological consequences of arrests and prosecutions.

The Al Joumhouri conference recalled the situation of political prisoners and militants currently detained, including Lotfi Mraïhi, president of the Republican Popular Union (UPR) and former candidate in the presidential election, who was arrested as he was about to run in the 2024 presidential election.

“Basma Barakat Listen to the summary Under the slogan 'Show the results of your rule,' a protest march roamed the streets of the Tunisian capital on Friday evening to demand the protection of rights and freedoms, the release of political prisoners, and the repeal of repressive laws”

Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed

It also highlighted Saadia Mosbah, founder of the Mnemty association and anti-racist activist, who was arrested on May 6, 2024 and remains detained, and the case of journalist Chadha Haj Mbarek in the so‑called Instalingo case, with a sentence of five years in prison in February 2025.

Al Jazeera reported that hundreds marched in Tunisia’s capital demanding press freedom and the release of political prisoners detained during President Kais Saied’s crackdown on dissent, which has jailed opposition figures including Ennahda party leader Rached Ghannouchi.

The march and movements described in The New Arab coverage called for repealing Decree 54, restoring rights and freedoms, and the release of political prisoners, while the Democratic Tide coordinator Husam Al-Hamadi said they do not expect immediate results and that results come through accumulation.