Tunisia criticized over transfer of jailed opposition figures

Tunisian authorities have come under fire for transferring several jailed opposition leaders to remote prisons without notice, a move denounced as punitive by lawyers and families, AFP reports. Among those moved are prominent figures Issam Chebbi and Ridha Belhaj, both defendants in a recent mass trial that sentenced critics of President Kais Saied on charges of plotting against the state.

Human rights groups say the relocations, which complicate family visits and legal access, reflect Tunisia’s growing authoritarianism since Saied's 2021 power grab. The transfers, to facilities like Bizerte’s infamous Borj Erroumi prison, have been likened to tactics used under past dictatorships.

During protests in Tunis, critics called the moves inhumane and politically motivated. Belhaj, in a letter from prison, called the transfer an effort to “break [his] will,” while activists warned of deteriorating prison conditions and increasing repression of dissent in Tunisia’s shrinking civic space.