The Tunisian General Labor Union denounced the arrest of the Secretary-General of the Private Union of Highways, Anis al-Kaabi, by the security services, in an incident that may increase the possibilities of direct confrontation between President Kais Saied and the Labor Union, one of the most important forces in the country.
The Labor Union considered that Al-Kaabi's arrest represents a blow to rights and trade union work, and called for mobilization to defend freedoms and the right to strike.
He added that Al-Kaabi's arrest took place immediately after President Saeed's speech, which included incitement against freedom of trade union work, and held the authorities fully responsible for the repercussions of Al-Kaabi's arrest.
The Al-Shaab News website of the Tunisian General Labor Union said that security forces arrested Al-Kaabi last night and took him to an unknown destination, due to what it called a legal strike in which the union respected all stages and legal procedures, according to the text of the site.
The Private Roads Union, which is affiliated with the Labor Union, went on strike on Monday and Tuesday, against the background of what it calls demands related to the company's deteriorating financial conditions.
President Saeed stated that the trade union right cannot be transformed to achieve political goals, and Saeed added that those calling for banditry will not remain outside accountability, and he also asked the armed and security forces and judges to confront those he considered conspirators against the state.
Last month, a senior official in the Labor Union, Sami al-Tahri, said at a union gathering, "We can smell the authorities' targeting of the Labor Union," with Noureddine al-Taboubi, the union's leader, repeating criticism of Saeed, who demanded that he change his political path.
The union, which has more than a million members and has proven its ability to paralyze the economy with strikes, has played a major role in Tunisian politics since the 2011 revolution, helping to mediate between political factions in a plan that ended with a consensual constitution in 2014.
Accusations of the President of the Republic
In a statement to Al-Jazeera, the leader of the National Salvation Front, Reda Belhaj, accused President Said of confusing his duties as president of the republic with what he called his personal political inclinations, enmities and vengeful spirit towards his opponents, as he put it.
On the other hand, Samir Dilo, the lawyer of former Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Al-Areedh, said that Al-Areedh's defense team has conclusive evidence confirming that the case, according to which he was arrested, is a malicious and fabricated one.
In a press conference, Delo confirmed that Al-Areedh is facing the so-called deportation charge, which is a flimsy charge that has no basis and does not exist in any Tunisian law, as he put it. He also stressed that the investigation did not prove any material evidence of any relationship to Al-Areedh with the deportation file to hotbeds of tension.
Dilo added that there is no legal justification for continuing to imprison Ali Al-Areedh, considering that the case was fabricated and launched with the insinuation of a political opponent, as he described it.
In the context, the "I am Watching" organization revealed that Tunisia has declined in the international ranking of the Corruption Perceptions Index for the year 2022, according to the annual report of Transparency International.
The organization stated that Tunisia ranks 85th out of 180 countries, which is the lowest rank in nearly 10 years.
She added that Tunisia got an average of 40 points out of 100 points, which makes it retreat by 4 points compared to last year.
The organization said that the reasons for the decline are due to the fact that the executive authority concentrated powers in its hands, controlling the judiciary, and closing anti-corruption institutions, which contributed to the lack of parliamentary or judicial oversight over government agencies.