Tunisian authorities on Thursday banned the National Salvation Front’s (NSF) upcoming protest scheduled on Sunday, reported The BBC.
Despite the ban, the country’s main opposition coalition has vowed to go ahead with its planned demonstration.
Kamel Feki, the governor of Tunis, said the protesting group’s request to hold a march on Sunday had not been approved as some of its leaders are suspected of plotting against state security.
The NSF has planned a protest on Sunday against political arrests and violations of public and individual freedoms.
In recent weeks, the security forces have arrested at least 20 critics and rivals of Tunisian President Kais Saied. The arrests, including politicians, protest organizers, lawyers, judges, union officials, the head of a leading independent radio station, and influential business leaders, represent the biggest crackdown on opponents of Saied since he seized most powers in 2021.
The president has accused the people who have been detained of terrorism, plotting against the state, and causing recent food shortages.
Notably, The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) has also planned a protest for Saturday against Saied’s “one-man rule.”
On Thursday, it said a senior official from a Spanish trade union had been denied entry at the airport in Tunis. The labor union group has called it a further violation of trade union rights and the basic principles of freedoms and human rights.
In 2021, Saied shut down the parliament and moved to rule by decree before rewriting Tunisia’s constitution. After coming to power, Saied has repeatedly refused to cooperate with the international community, ignoring all calls for a swift return to democracy.
Earlier this week, the Tunisian foreign ministry issued a warning to foreign diplomats against, what it calls, meddling in the North African country’s affairs.
The foreign ministry issued the warning in a statement after reports that arrested political figures had contacted Western diplomats.
