Since seizing sweeping powers in 2021, Tunisian coup leader Kais Saied has repeatedly drawn criticism over court rulings that have eroded civil liberties and the rule of law.

Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath has found himself once again at odds with authorities, this time in Paris, the city that once welcomed him after his release from years of detention in Egypt, presenting him as a symbol of free expression and human rights.

Tunisia’s judiciary, under Kais Saied’s grip, is continuing to side with the authorities in targeting figures of the revolution and Islamic and political activism, foremost among them Rached Ghannouchi.

BETAR, a far-right Zionist group, was dissolved in New York in January 2026 after authorities found it engaged in intimidation, incitement to violence, and civil rights violations.

Tunisia’s families, lawyers, and opposition warn that under President Kais Saied, rising authoritarianism, arbitrary political detentions, and shrinking freedoms threaten the country’s future.