Tunisia: supporters of opposition politician Abir Moussi protest her transfer to a remote prison

In northwestern Tunisia, dozens arrived on Sunday to the remote prison of Bulla Regia to protest the detention of Abir Moussi, a prominent opposition figure sentenced to two years in prison for publicly criticising the country's electoral process.

The protest, organised by Moussi's party Free Destourian Party (PDL), took place shortly after her transfer on 20 June from a detention centre in Tunis to the isolated facility.

Protesters denounced the move as political persecution and demanded her immediate release, citing concerns about her treatment and calling for adequate medical care.

Moussi, 50, a lawyer and head of the right-wing PDL, was convicted on 12 June under Decree-Law 54, a 2022 presidential decree criminalising the spread of "false information" perceived as damaging to state institutions.

The charges followed her public allegations of irregularities in the legislative elections and criticism of the Independent High Authority on Elections (ISIE), Tunisia's electoral commission.

Human rights organisations condemned her arrest as part of a systematic effort by President Kais Saied's government to silence opposition voices and independent media.

Moussi has been in custody since October 2023, following protests outside the presidential palace. The recent ruling also included accusations that she undermined the government's legitimacy — charges viewed by critics as politically motivated.

The controversial political leader appeals to parts of the population nostalgic for Tunisia's pre-revolutionary era. A strong critic of Islamists such as imprisoned Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, Moussi was an official in longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ruling party.

Over the years, she became one of the country's most popular and contentious political figures and was campaigning to become Saied's strongest competitor in the 2024 presidential election before her arrest.

Since assuming extraordinary powers in 2021, in a move many labelled a coup, Saied's administration has intensified its crackdown on opposition politicians and journalists.

Several prominent figures have been jailed or sentenced in absentia, including former President Moncef Marzouki and Ennahda's leader Rached Ghannouchi, both handed 22-year sentences.

Journalists such as Chadha Haj Mubarak and Chahrazad Akacha received sentences of five and 27 years respectively, while others, including Sonia Dahmani, remain imprisoned under similar charges of spreading "false news" or conspiracy.

In February 2022, Saied dissolved Tunisia's Supreme Judicial Council, the body tasked with ensuring judicial independence, calling it biased and ineffective. He later granted himself broad authority over judicial appointments, tightening his grip on the courts.

Many of the accused were arrested during a sweeping crackdown in early 2023, during which President Saied referred to some as "terrorists." Others remain at large, reportedly having fled abroad.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimates that more than 50 journalists, lawyers, and activists are currently detained on political grounds under the same sweeping law.

"By attacking journalists and other media figures, Saied's government is moving to put the last nail in the coffin of Tunisia's civic space," said Lama Fakih, HRW's Middle East and North Africa director.