TUNIS, Feb 15 (Reuters) – Tunisian police detained opposition figure Olfa Hamdi as she arrived at the country’s main airport on Sunday, local media reported, in the latest move against a critic of President Kais Saied.
Hamdi, leader of the Third Republic party, was detained shortly after disembarking from a flight, the reports said. She resides abroad and previously served as CEO of Tunisia’s national carrier Tunisair.
Hamdi has repeatedly criticized Saied’s rule and called for the formation of a transitional government and early presidential elections.
Opposition figures described the arrest as part of a wider crackdown on dissent, as Tunisia grapples with deepening polarization since Saied assumed sweeping powers in 2021, a move critics have denounced as a coup.
Authorities made no immediate comment on the arrest. Reuters has been unable to contact Hamdi’s lawyer or any of her relatives.
In early February, police arrested a member of parliament known for mocking the president, in what opposition called an effort to stifle critic voices.
Many opposition leaders, along with activists and journalists, are behind bars, with critics accusing Saied of having turned Tunisia into a prison since 2021.
Saied rejects the accusations, insisting that he is not a dictator and that the law applies to everyone, regardless of their position.
(Reporting By Tarek AmaraEditing by Christina Fincher)
