Tunisia: Families of political detainees form collective to unite opposition to Saied Submitted by Fleur Hargreaves on Thu, 01/15/2026 - 12:45 A new National Coordination for the Liberation of Political Prisoners aims to overcome Tunisian opposition's divisions Tunisian opposition members brandish photos and masks of President Kais Saied as they demand the release of political detainees in the capital Tunis, on 10 January 2026 (Fethi Belaid/AFP) Off Several family members of political prisoners from various factions in Tunisia who oppose President Kais Saied have announced the creation of a collective aimed at "uniting efforts" for their release. The National Coordination for the Liberation of Political Prisoners brings together various opposition groups whose internal disagreements previously impeded a viable resistance to the president. The coalition was declared at a press conference in Tunis on 14 January – a symbolic date which marks the 15th anniversary of the uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and led to the so-called Arab Spring across the region. Organisers said that choosing this date was significant, because “the Revolution is still present in our hearts, in our minds, and in our collective consciousness”. Lawyer and activist Sana Ben Achour explained at the conference the importance of “coordinat[ing] field operations for greater effectiveness, so that we are not each working on our own” to guarantee the release of the prisoners. “Whether the detainees are left-wing or right-wing, secular or Islamist, injustice inflicts the same suffering,” she added. Since Saied's coup in July 2021, in which he granted himself sweeping powers, numerous Tunisian opposition figures, lawyers, activists, aid workers and journalists have been arrested and given heavy-handed prison sentences , drawing criticism from local and international rights bodies that have denounced politically motivated trials. 'Rescuing vulnerable people, defending rights, expressing an opinion are not crimes' – National Coordination for the Liberation of Political Prisoners In particular, numerous opposition figures have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for "conspiracy against the state", while aid workers have been detained and tried for assisting migrants. Lawyer and left-wing activist Ayachi Hammami, arrested in December after also being convicted of conspiracy, has been on hunger strike for 43 days. On Wednesday, Amnesty International deplored "the silencing of critical voices and the erosion of the fundamental gains of the revolution", stating that prosecutions of opponents were "often based on flimsy or unsubstantiated evidence". According to the new coalition's organisers, the legal frameworks being used against political prisoners include the 2015 law on combating terrorism and money laundering, whose broad interpretation they say has led to numerous abuses, and Decree 54 on "fake news", which has been accused by rights groups of weaponising against freedom of expression. Similarly, the 2004 law on foreigners and passports has been used to criminalise humanitarian work in solidarity with migrants. Uniting efforts Despite the draconian repression, various elements within the opposition have struggled to adequately set aside differences and unite against the state. Last July, the main opposition groups failed to come together to organise a protest rally to mark the fourth anniversary of Saied’s power grasp, due to internal divisions. Tunisia appeal court upholds heavy prison sentences in ‘conspiracy’ trial Read More » Those involved in denouncing the democratic regression that Tunisia has experienced under Saied include the National Salvation Front, a group associated with the Ennahda government that preceded the coup; the Free Destourian Party, which claims to be the heir to the pre-revolutionary government, and the Tunisian Network for Rights and Freedoms, a collective of left-wing parties and NGOs. Prior to her imprisonment in the controversial "conspiracy case", Chaima Issa, a member of the National Salvation Front, told Middle East Eye that “there’s an ideology of exclusion fuelled by resentment, even a form of contempt” within the opposition movement, which prohibited it from coalescing. The formation of the new collective therefore marks a significant development in a growing movement against Saied. The group’s missions include giving a voice to political prisoners, providing them and their families with moral support, raising public awareness of the cases, and constructing an alternative to the narrative that seeks to present humanitarian and activist work as a threat to the state. “Rescuing vulnerable people, defending rights, expressing an opinion are not crimes,” organisers stated at the conference, concluding with a message to prisoners that the injustice “will not last”. Inside Tunisia Families of Tunisian political detainees form collective to unite opposition to Saied News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0