Will Ahmed Souab's arrest unite Tunisia's opposition against Kais Saied?

In a rare display of unity, Tunisia's fractured opposition came together this week to condemn what many described as an "egregious political error": the arrest of Ahmed Souab, a former administrative judge and vocal member of the legal defence team representing political detainees.

Souab was detained on Monday after police forces in armoured vehicles raided his home in what critics likened to an anti-terror operation.

According to his brother, Monji Souab, also a prominent lawyer, Ahmed was held incommunicado for 48 hours, with no access to legal counsel.

Speaking at a press conference in Tunis on Wednesday, 23 April, Monji said authorities had invoked a raft of legal provisions to justify the arrest, including the Penal Code, anti-terrorism legislation, Tunisia's telecommunications law, and the widely criticised cybercrime Decree 54.

"The state has lost all reason. They treated him like a terrorist", Monji said.

"This is a political case, and just as the decision to arrest him was political, so too will his release depend on political will."

The arrest has ignited a wave of outrage around the North African state, galvanising a broad swathe of opposition figures who have long struggled to present a united front against President Kais Saied's increasingly autocratic rule.

Since his dramatic power grab on 25 July 2021, when he froze parliament and began ruling by decree, Saied has been accused of dismantling the democratic gains Tunisia made after its 2010-2011 revolution.

Hamma Hammami, Secretary-General of the leftist Workers' Party and a longtime critic of both past and present rulers, called Souab a "unifying symbol" in Tunisia's struggle for civil liberties.

Even under former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Hammami noted, Souab was known for his steadfast defence of human rights.

"Today's show of solidarity cuts across the political spectrum, from right to left", Hammami said.

Souab's arrest marks another turning point in the government's widening clampdown, which now targets not only opposition politicians and journalists, but increasingly ordinary citizens expressing dissenting views.

Tunisia's powerful General Labour Union (UGTT) has also come out in Souab's defence, issuing a formal statement of support and appointing a legal team to represent him.

The union's spokesperson, Sami Tahri, condemned the use of legal tools to "spread fear and suppress dissent," describing the arrest as a "grave overreach" and "a political miscalculation that cannot go unanswered."

Souab's detention comes on the heels of a major escalation in the government's crackdown against dissent.

Just days prior, a Tunis court referred more than 20 prominent political figures—including leaders from the Islamist Ennahda party, the National Salvation Front, and civil society—to trial on charges of "conspiracy against state security."

Among the accused are former ministers, political advisers, and activists who have been held in pre-trial detention for over a year.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has decried the charges as vague and the proceedings as part of a broader effort to neutralise dissent. It also warned that Tunisia is abandoning fundamental norms of due process and the rule of law.

Once hailed as the lone 'success story' of the 2010-2011 regional uprisings, Tunisia has faced growing scrutiny in recent years as Saied's consolidation of power has coincided with a crackdown on critics, from political opponents to migrants and union leaders.

Rights groups have repeatedly raised the alarm over arbitrary arrests and the increasing use of military tribunals to prosecute civilians.

The use of broadly worded laws, particularly Decree 54—which criminalises online speech deemed harmful to public order—has fuelled concerns that the government is eroding the last remnants of institutional resistance.

"People who were once hesitant or fearful are now waking up. The wave of repression won't stop unless we stand against it," said Hammami in a call for the Tunisian people.