Hundreds of Tunisian activists took to the streets of capital Tunis on Friday, July 25, 2025, to protest against President Kais Saied’s rule, marking four years since he consolidated his one-man rule in a country once known as the birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings. The protests was massive with protesters, chanting slogans such as “The Republic is a large prison” and “The people want the fall of the regime”, demanded the release of jailed opposition leaders, including Rached Ghannouchi, head of Ennahdha, and Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party.
The protests were a stark reminder of the growing discontent among Tunisians with Saied’s authoritarian regime. On July 25, 2021, Saied suspended parliament, dismissed his prime minister, and invoked a state of emergency to begin ruling by decree, ordering mass arrests and politically motivated trials to silence dissent. The move was widely criticized as a coup, and many Tunisians fear that their country is descending into authoritarianism.
Monia Ibrahim, wife of imprisoned politician Abdelhamid Jelassi, said, “Our first aim is to battle against tyranny to restore the democracy and to demand the release of the political detainees.” Saib Souab, son of Ahmed Souab, the imprisoned lawyer who is a critical voice of Saied, echoed similar sentiments, stating that Tunisia has turned into an “open-air prison” where even those not behind bars live in a state of temporary freedom, constantly at risk of arrest for any reason.
The protesters carried portraits of political prisoners and a cage that organizers said represented the state of political life in Tunisia. They also chanted slogans such as “No fear, no terror … streets belong to the people”. The protests were a testament to the growing resistance against Saied’s rule, which has seen the imprisonment of dozens of politicians, lawyers, activists, and journalists under anti-terrorism and conspiracy laws.
Samir Dilou, a former government minister and member of Ennahdha, said Saied had forever changed the meaning of July 25, which marks the anniversary of Tunisia’s declaration as a republic in 1957. “July 25 used to mark the Republic’s founding. Now, it marks its dismantling. Absolute power is absolute corruption,” he said.
As the protests continued, it became clear that the Tunisian people would not be silenced. They demanded a return to democracy and the release of all political prisoners. The international community watched closely, aware of the implications of Tunisia’s descent into authoritarianism.