Families of Jailed Opposition Figures Become Tunisia’s Last Line of Protest.

With many opposition leaders behind bars in Tunisia, their families are now stepping into the spotlight, leading protests and speaking out in what rights groups describe as an ongoing clampdown on dissent under President Kais Saied.

Over the past three years, key figures across politics, media, and business have been detained, facing allegations ranging from threats to state security to corruption. Those accused insist the charges are politically driven and aimed at silencing criticism.

One of the most visible voices is Youssef Chaouachi, who says he never imagined becoming an activist. His father, Ghazi Chaouachi, a Social Democrat, was arrested and later sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2025 over claims of plotting against the state, an accusation he rejects. Youssef now joins protests in Tunis, often holding his father’s photo as he calls for justice.

The scale of arrests has left only a handful of opposition voices still active in a country once praised as a democratic success after the 2011 Arab Spring. For many families, the shift has been disheartening. “It feels like everything we fought for has disappeared,” Youssef said.

Authorities have denied claims of repression. President Saied has repeatedly framed his actions as part of a broader effort to rid the country of corruption and disloyal elements. Meanwhile, officials such as Justice Minister Leila Jeffel maintain that the judiciary is functioning independently and within the law.

Still, critics point to sweeping institutional changes, including the dissolution of the judiciary council in 2022 and the dismissal of dozens of judges, as signs of weakening checks and balances.

With political parties largely inactive or their leaders imprisoned, relatives of detainees have taken on new roles, organising protests, staging sit-ins outside prisons, and forming advocacy groups. Their actions, while unlikely to force immediate change, have begun to draw wider public sympathy amid growing frustration over economic hardship and shrinking civic space.

President Saied, who dissolved parliament in 2021 and has ruled by decree since, insists Tunisia remains a country where freedoms are protected. But for families like the Chaouachis, daily life now revolves around prison visits and long waits for justice, while empty seats at home serve as constant reminders of those still behind bars.