Tunisian women protest president Saied’s crackdown on female critics

This week, Tunisian women took to the streets to protest President Kais Saied’s treatment of over 30 female lawyers and activists who have voiced criticism of his leadership, according to a report by The New Arab.

The protest, held on National Women’s Day in Tunisia, saw participants marching to the Ministry of the Interior, demanding the immediate release of numerous women imprisoned by Saied for exercising their freedom of speech.

Chaima Issa, a prominent activist arrested in February 2023 and later sentenced to one year in prison for criticizing Saied in the media, described the protest as a stand against “the regime’s misogyny.”

“The regime’s duality and hatred for women are clear,” Issa said during the protest. “It’s no surprise that female prisoners and bloggers are targeted under Decree 54, with possibly more cases still to come.”

Decree 54 grants the government extensive powers to prosecute individuals for spreading “false news” or “slandering others,” with prison sentences ranging from five to ten years.

Since Saied consolidated power in 2021, at least 34 women have been arrested, investigated, or barred from traveling, according to the non-governmental organization Legal Agenda, as cited by The New Arab.