Chaima Issa will be released from prison on Friday if the public prosecutor’s office does not appeal the judge’s decision.
Tunisia’s public prosecutor is appealing against a judge’s decision to free a prominent opponent of President Kais Saied, following his arrest in February, according to his lawyer.
Because of this, Chaima Issa will not be released from prison this Friday, said lawyer Dalila Mssadek to reporters.
A decision will be made to release him or keep him in jail within days, lawyers said. Issa was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy.
Issa is a prominent leader of the National Salvation Front (NSF), which is the main opposition coalition of Saied, which has organized protests against him since he gained more power in 2021 and closed the elected parliament.
Authorities have detained more than 20 political, judicial, media and business figures with ties to the opposition in recent months in a crackdown, accusing them of plotting against state security.
They were detained in connection with an investigation into claims of “plotting against state security” and labeled “terrorists” by Saied.
Among those detained is Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Ennahdha party, which was the largest in parliament before Saied took control.
Earlier this week, prominent Tunisian journalist Zied el-Heni was arrested by an internal squad dressed in plain clothes who raided his home in a suburb of the capital Tunis, according to local media. .
The main opposition parties criticized the arrests as political and rights groups pushed the authorities to release the detainees.
On Sunday, hundreds of NSF supporters rallied to demand the release of 20 of Saied’s jailed opponents.
The president froze parliament and sacked the government in a dramatic move in July 2021 against the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings.
His critics called the move a “coup” while local and international rights groups denounced a “witch hunt” aimed at “suppressing” dissent in the North African country.
