Overview
- Thousands rallied in downtown Tunis on Saturday, many in black, demanding the fall of the regime and the release of political prisoners.
- The march united families of detainees, activists, NGOs and fragmented parties in an unusually broad coalition.
- Rights groups detailed an escalating clampdown, with Amnesty citing asset freezes, banking restrictions and suspensions affecting 14 NGOs and Human Rights Watch counting more than 50 arrests since late 2022.
- Some jailed critics are on hunger strike, including constitutional law professor Jawher Ben Mbarek, who has refused food for over 20 days.
- President Kais Saied rejects accusations of authoritarianism, saying he is cleansing the state of traitors, as protesters also raised environmental grievances linked to Gabes and a chemical plant.