In Tunisia’s capital Tunis, hundreds of people demonstrated on Sunday, in support of President Kais Saied amidst widespread criticism and a wave of arrests involving journalists, activists, and lawyers.

The European Union, France, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns over the arrests and a police raid on the bar association headquarters, where two critical lawyers were detained.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned the crackdown, calling for Tunisia to respect free speech and civil liberties. In response to allegations of torture by arrested lawyers, which the Interior Ministry denied, Tunisian lawyers went on strike.

President Saied responded to international criticism by summoning ambassadors to protest against foreign interference in Tunisia. Demonstrators on Habib Bourguiba Street carried pictures of Saied and banners rejecting foreign intervention, chanting slogans in his support.

Saied, who has ruled by decree since shutting down parliament two years after his 2019 election, often accuses his opponents of being traitors.