US denounces Tunisia arrests of president’s critics

• The US condemned the detention by Tunisia of President Kais Saied’s detractors.
• Ten public personalities have been detained since Saturday.
• The arrests are seen as an unjustified act of retribution.

On Wednesday, the US condemned the detention by Tunisia of President Kais Saied’s detractors and demanded open legal proceedings.

“We’re deeply concerned by the reported arrests of multiple political figures, business leaders, and journalists in Tunisia in recent days,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

“We respect the aspirations of the Tunisian people for an independent and transparent judiciary that is able to protect fundamental freedoms for all,” he said.

The director of a well-known radio station and a well-known businessman is among the ten public personalities who have been detained by police in the North African nation since Saturday. The nation is the origin of the 2011 Arab Spring upheavals.

The arrests, according to the opposition National Salvation Front, were an unjustified act of retribution.

In July 2021, Saied grabbed broad authority when he froze the parliament as a result of an economic crisis. Although he had some initial public support, he has now come under fire for allegedly becoming more authoritarian.

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