Tunisia police arrrest opposition figure Chaima Issa during protest

Lawyers claim that Tunisian police have detained well-known opposition figure Chaima Issa during a protest in Tunis on Saturday.

Following the protest, an appeals court on Friday handed opposition leaders, businesspeople, and attorneys sentence terms of up to 45 years in connection with a conspiracy to overthrow president Kais Saied. During the trial, Isaac received a 20-year sentence.

Issa had stated to the Reuters news agency that she would be apprehended shortly before her arrest.

I urge Tunisians to continue to protest and reject tyranny. We’re sacrificing our liberty for you.

The accusations were politically motivated, according to her.

Najib Chebbi, the leader of the main opposition coalition challenging Saied, is also likely to be arrested by police.

Ayachi Hammami, a prominent opposition figure, received a 5-year prison sentence, while he received a 12-year prison sentence.

The trial was “political, unfair, and without the slightest evidence” against the defendants, according to Human Rights Watch on Friday.

The US-based rights organization criticized the “shameless instrumentalization of the judiciary to eliminate Saied’s opponents” in a statement to the AFP news agency.

The ruling, according to UK-based rights organization Amnesty International, is “an appalling indictment of the Tunisian justice system” and condemns “a relentless campaign to erode rights and silence dissent” in Tunisia.

Saied expanded the executive branch and suspended parliament during a massive power grab in July 2021 to allow him to impose his will. The president has since jailed many of his critics.

Many of Saied’s rights were later ratified in a widely boycotted 2022 referendum, while media figures and attorneys who criticize him were charged and detained under a&nbsp, “fake news” law passed the same year.