Sat Jul 26 07:56:29 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a news article rewrite:
**Summary:**
Hundreds of Tunisian activists protested in Tunis on the fourth anniversary of President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power, which they denounce as an “authoritarian regime” turning the country into an “open-air prison.” They demanded the release of political prisoners, including prominent opposition leaders, who have been jailed under anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws. The protesters accuse Saied of silencing dissent through mass arrests and politically motivated trials since his power grab in July 2021. They point to the dissolution of the Supreme Judicial Council and the dismissal of judges as further evidence of Saied’s efforts to cement one-man rule. Saied maintains his actions are necessary to combat corruption and hold people accountable, while critics argue he is dismantling the democratic gains of the Arab Spring.
**News Article:**
**Tunisian Protesters Denounce Saied’s Rule as “Authoritarian,” Demand Release of Political Prisoners**
**Tunis, Tunisia** – Hundreds of Tunisian activists took to the streets of Tunis on Friday, marking four years since President Kais Saied’s controversial power grab, which they say has transformed the country into an “open-air prison.” Protesters carried portraits of political prisoners and a symbolic cage, representing what organizers called the current state of political life in Tunisia under Saied’s rule.
Chanting slogans like “The Republic is a large prison,” demonstrators demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha party, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party. Dozens of politicians, lawyers, activists, and journalists have faced imprisonment under anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws since Saied’s actions on July 25, 2021, when he suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister, and began ruling by decree.
Critics have labeled Saied’s moves a coup, accusing him of dismantling the democratic progress made during the Arab Spring. Protesters echoed these sentiments, chanting, “No fear, no terror… streets belong to the people” and “The people want the fall of the regime.”
“Our first aim is to battle against tyranny to restore democracy and to demand the release of the political detainees,” said Monia Ibrahim, wife of imprisoned politician Abdelhamid Jelassi, as reported by Reuters. Saib Souab, son of imprisoned lawyer Ahmed Souab, told Reuters that prisons are now “crowded” with Saied’s opponents, activists and journalists, and that Tunisia “has turned into an open-air prison … Even those not behind bars live in a state of temporary freedom, constantly at risk of arrest for any reason.”
In 2022, Saied dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move critics decried as further consolidating his one-man rule. While Saied insists he does not interfere with the judiciary, he has stated that no one is above accountability. In 2023, he accused imprisoned politicians of being “traitors and terrorists.”
The date of the protest, July 25th, also marks the anniversary of Tunisia’s declaration as a republic in 1957. However, Samir Dilou, a former government minister and member of Ennahdha, said that Saied has “forever changed” the day’s meaning. “July 25 used to mark the Republic’s founding. Now, it marks its dismantling,” he said. “Absolute power is absolute corruption.”
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