Skip to main content

Tunisian police arrest member of parliament who mocked president, two lawmakers say

AL-Monitor
Feb 4, 2026
Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Tunisia's President Kais Saied attends his swearing-in ceremony for his second term at the parliament in Tunis, Tunisia October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi — Zoubeir Souissi

TUNIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Tunisian police arrested lawmaker Ahmed Saidani on Wednesday, two of his colleagues said, in what appeared to be part of an escalating crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied.

Saidani has recently become known for his fierce criticism of Saied. On Tuesday, he mocked the president in a Facebook post, describing him as the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage,” blasting what he said was the absence of any achievements by Saied.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; editing by Mark Heinrich)