Tunisian police detained Ahmed Souab, a well-known lawyer and vocal critic of President Kais Saied, on Monday, according to his legal team. The arrest has raised alarms among human rights groups, fearing further repression of dissent in the country.
Souab is one of the lawyers representing opposition leaders who were sentenced to lengthy prison terms on Saturday on charges of conspiracy. The prominent lawyer had sharply criticized the trial, calling it a “farce” and accusing the judiciary of being “completely destroyed.”
“It seems he was detained due to his critical comments about the trial,” said Samir Dilou, one of Souab’s defense lawyers. Other lawyers confirmed the arrest.
The controversial convictions have sparked widespread opposition, with political parties denouncing them as retaliation against figures challenging President Saied’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Rights organizations have also condemned the proceedings, with Amnesty International warning that the mass sentencing of dissidents signals a troubling escalation in the government’s crackdown on peaceful opposition.
The defendants included key members of the Islamist Ennahda party, Saied’s main opposition, which has been targeted in the judicial purge. Ennahda’s Vice President, Noureddine Bhiri, was handed a 43-year prison sentence, while two senior party officials, Said Ferjani and Sahbi Atig, were sentenced to 13 years each. Businessman Kamel Ltaif received the harshest sentence, 66 years, and opposition figure Khyam Turki was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Authorities accused the group, which also included former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani and Nadia Akacha, former head of Saied’s office, of attempting to destabilize the country and overthrow the president. The opposition leaders rejected the charges, claiming they were working on an initiative to unite the fractured opposition.
President Saied has previously labeled the accused as “traitors and terrorists,” suggesting that any judges who might rule in their favor are accomplices.
