Tunisia, once celebrated as the sole democratic success story of the 2011 Arab uprisings, is rapidly reverting to the authoritarian playbook of its past. Under the rule of President Kaïs Saïed, the state has replaced the promise of political pluralism with a system of political repression so brazen it has plunged the country into a judicial farce.

The illusion of Saïed’s anti-corruption crusade has been stripped away, replaced by the grim reality of a concerted crackdown on all forms of dissent, turning lawyers, journalists, and opposition figures into political hostages.

The core issue is the systematic weaponization of the justice sector to silence political opposition. Following his 2021 seizure of extraordinary powers, President Saïed has steadily consolidated all state authority, justifying his actions as necessary to eradicate corruption and eliminate “traitors.”

However, the reality points to a chilling revival of the repressive tactics of the pre-2011 era. The full scope of this judicial war was laid bare last week. On November 17, a Tunisian court was scheduled to hear the appeal in the politically motivated “Conspiracy........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)