Since President Kais Saied assumed office in 2019, he has taken a hardline stance against demonstrations and protests, and has expelled foreign critics from the country. This has caused some tension and upheaval within Tunisia, as many people feel that their right to free expression is being stifled. However, Saied remains popular among many Tunisians, who see him as a honest and trustworthy leader who is committed to protecting the country’s interests. There is no doubt that the president’s policies have had an impact on the nation, but it remains to be seen what long-term effects they will have.

Since President Kais Saied’s July 2021 power grab, the question of what remains of the human rights gains from Tunisia’s 2011 revolution is an open one. Tunisia was hailed as a rare success story following its 2011 revolution, with a new constitution that enshrined protections for a range of rights and freedoms. However, these gains are now under threat from Saied’s power grab.

He has undermined the independence of the judiciary, used emergency powers to bypass parliament, and cracked down on dissent. If this trend continues, it could reverse the hard-won progress Tunisia has made on human rights in recent years.

When I saw the demonstrations against Saied in Tunis on January 14, 2023, I was struck by how much two of the gains of the revolution have persisted: freedom of assembly and openness to international civil society organisations. It was heartening to see people still exercising their right to protest and to have international observers paying attention to Tunisia 12 years after the ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. But it was also a reminder of how much work is still to be done to consolidate the gains of the revolution and ensure that all Tunisians can benefit from them.

On Saturday evening, a few thousand demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Tunis, chanting slogans condemning the government and calling for an end to the recent coup. Though the numbers were small, the protesters were bold, carrying banners and chanting slogans such as “No to the coup!” and “Scram, Loser!” The police did not intervene, and the demonstrators marched through the streets for several hours before dispersing peacefully.

In contrast to his predecessor, President Saied has shown a willingness to tolerate critical rallies and protests. This is a marked departure from the previous regime of President Ben Ali, whose security forces would routinely prevent or break up any political gathering of even a handful of people. Furthermore, Saied has also allowed foreign civil society activists to enter and move around the country without obstacles, including those who have denounced his authoritarian drift. Such activities were not tolerated under the Ben Ali regime, and several foreign human rights critics were either refused entry to Tunisia or expelled while there.

Since his election in October 2019, Tunisian President Kais Saied has taken a number of steps to consolidate his power and silence his opponents. In the last two months, Saied has deployed some of the same tools used by former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, including cracking down on demonstrations and expelling or denying entry to foreign critics.

Saied’s actions have drawn criticism from human rights groups and Tunisian citizens who had hoped for a more democratic government after the fall of Ben Ali. However, it appears that Saied is more interested in consolidating his own power than in fulfilling the promises of the Tunisian Revolution.

In recent weeks, political tensions have been running high in Tunisia, as a result of President Saied’s controversial decision to assume extensive new powers. This has led to opposition from a number of quarters, including the National Salvation Front, a political coalition which has been critical of the president’s actions.

On March 5th, the Front had planned to hold a march in protest of the president’s decisions, but this was forbidden by the governor of Tunis on the grounds that some of the Front’s leaders were suspected of plotting against state security. Despite this, a reduced number of protesters still managed to march on that day, although they were subject to police controls.

On February 18, Saied ordered the expulsion of Esther Lynch of the European Confederation of Unions, for what he claimed was “interfering” in Tunisia’s “domestic affairs.” Lynch had come to support demands by the General Union of Tunisian Workers that the presidency negotiate with it and free its imprisoned members. Two weeks later, authorities refused entry to a Spanish syndicalist who had come on a solidarity visit. This pattern of behaviour by the Saied administration, of shutting out and silencing dissenting voices, is deeply troubling and does not bode well for the future of democracy in Tunisia.

Within a few years after Ben Ali seized power in 1987, his government’s prisons held thousands of suspected opponents, many tortured and their families facing unrelenting harassment. The scale of repression then and now is not comparable, yet. But by banning a public rally and visits by outspoken foreigners, Saied has come two steps closer to embracing the Ben Ali playbook.

The crackdown on dissent in Tunisia is becoming increasingly apparent. For weeks now, human rights activists, journalists, and members of the political opposition have been facing intimidation, harassment, and physical violence. And on Tuesday, the government took things a step further by banning a public rally and visits by outspoken foreigners.

Since President Saied assumed office in 2021, he has taken a hardline stance against demonstrations and protests, and has expelled foreign critics from the country. This has caused some tension and upheaval within Tunisia, as many people feel that their right to free expression is being stifled. However, Saied remains popular among many Tunisians, who see him as an honest and trustworthy leader who is committed to protecting the country’s interests.