In the midst of a campaign of arrests expanding day by day among opponents of Tunisian President Kais Saied, and amid a wave of legal, political and trade union criticism, movements, and protests against the president's policies, controversy is also arising about the cause of international concern about his positions.
This comes after the Tunisian General Labor Union - the most influential Tunisian force in the street - entered the crisis line, as it confirmed that the country had entered a stage of danger, and stressed that it would not accept tyranny and would confront it.
Suspensions or settling scores?
Daniel Bromberg, Director of Democracy and Governance Studies at Georgetown University - in his interview with the "Behind the News" program (25/2/2023) - attributed the increasing international criticism to the rise in the campaign of arrests against journalists to prevent any political opposition in the country.
Samir Dilo, a lawyer and member of the Executive Committee of the National Salvation Front, stressed that international criticism is an interaction with the reality of the country, which he described as a republic for President Saeed, in which he acts as if it is his personal property, as he issues a number of arrest warrants against anyone who openly opposes him.
Regarding the developments in the file of arrests and arrests, lawyer Karim Al-Marzouqi, a member of the defense team, clarified the case, which the authorities call "conspiracy against state security";
The defense team decided to boycott the pleadings in the case due to the absence of the most basic conditions for a fair trial, in addition to the conviction of the lawyers that the decisions of imprisonment are not judicial but purely political.
However, writer and political analyst Belhassan al-Yahawi, who supports Saeed's political positions, saw that the official authorities should justify the reason for what he called "the suspensions", as well as clarifying whether they were related to legal accountability or the liquidation of political opponents, rejecting the accusations made by Saeed's opponents that the latter arrests all his opponents.
Racist or spontaneous statements?
Said's statements about African immigrants prompted Tunisians to demonstrate in the streets, denouncing what they called the official racist discourse targeting immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Said had previously demanded an end to the influx of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and described the arrival of large numbers of them as a conspiracy to change the demographic composition in Tunisia, and considered them a source of violence, crimes and unacceptable practices, he said, and also stressed the need to open all files, especially those related to corruption, and holding all those who have committed crimes against the Tunisian people accountable.
Commenting on this, Bromberg drew attention to the fact that Saeed has always dominated his ideas of conspiracy theory, and "this is clearly evident in his racist statements regarding immigrants, accusing Saeed of behaving in a kind of tyranny and that he tightens his grip on the judiciary to achieve his political interests."
On the other hand, Al-Yahyaoui considered that Saeed’s statements regarding African immigrants were spontaneous, but they were interpreted to a greater extent than their size, considering that they were not racist as they were promoted, noting that Tunisia is an African country as well, and regarding the position of the African Congress angry and condemning Saeed’s statements, Al-Yahyaoui saw It came as a result of the analyzes of the Tunisian media, which were horrified by Said's statements.
The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had expressed its astonishment at the statement issued by the African Union Commission on the situation of the African community in Tunisia and rejected the statements and accusations it contained, which it said were unfounded.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that the Commission's position was based on a misunderstanding of the positions of the Tunisian authorities, and it also expressed its regret for "the unjustified and incomprehensible confusion between African immigrants who live peacefully under the protection of the laws of the Tunisian state, and illegal groups that traffic in human beings and put them into death boats and exploit them for criminal purposes." .