DM Monitoring
TUNIS: Tunisia’s public prosecutor on Friday appealed against a judge’s decision to free Chaima Issa, a prominent opponent of President Kais Saied, following her arrest in February, her lawyer said.
Issa will now not leave prison on Friday, lawyer Dalila Mbarek told Reuters.
A decision will be taken to release her or keep her in prison within days, lawyers said. Issa had been accused of plotting against state security.
Issa is a prominent leader in the Salvation Front, which is the main opposition coalition to Saied, organising protests against him since he seized additional powers in 2021 and shut down the elected parliament.
Judges have detained more than 20 political, judicial, media and business figures with opposition ties over recent months in a crackdown, accusing them of plotting against state security. The main opposition parties have decried the arrests as politically motivated and rights groups have urged authorities to free those detained.
Saied has described the detainees as terrorists, criminals and traitors, and says judges who free them would be abetting their alleged crimes. Saied has moved to rule by decree, a step described as a coup by the opposition. He says his moves are legal and necessary to save the country from years of chaos and corruption.
