Tunisia arrests top opposition leader Nejib Chebbi in widening crackdown

Ahmed Nejib Chebbi is among dozens of government critics facing years-long prison terms after ‘sham trial’.Published On 4 Dec 2025Tunisian police have arrested top opposition figure Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, his family says, as a crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied widens in the North African country, once a beacon of fledgling democracy in the years after the Arab Spring.Chebbi was arrested at his home on Thursday, days after he was sentenced to 12 years for plotting against the state in a trial denounced by human rights groups as politically motivated and a “sham”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Enough repression’: Thousands of Tunisians protest against Kais Saiedlist 2 of 3Politician Ayachi Hammami latest arrest in Tunisia opposition crackdownlist 3 of 3Tunisia hands long prison sentences to opposition, business, media figuresend of listThe 81-year-old’s daughter said in a Facebook post that police had taken him from their home.His lawyer, Amine Bouker, also confirmed the arrest to the AFP news agency, saying that Tunisia’s “political scene has become frightening”.Chebbi – the cofounder of the National Salvation Front (FSN), the country’s main opposition coalition – is among several opposition figures, lawyers and rights advocates targeted for arrest and prosecution in recent weeks.He has been one of the most prominent critics of Saied, who staged a sweeping power grab in 2021, more than a decade after Tunisia overthrew longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during the Arab Spring uprisings.Rights groups have since criticised the president for overseeing a wide-reaching rollback on freedoms.Last week, dozens of opposition figures were sentenced to as many as 45 years in prison in the so-called “conspiracy case”.Ayachi Hammami, a rights activist and lawyer, was arrested on Tuesday, following political figure Chaima Issa on Saturday. They were handed five and 20 years in prison, respectively, during the trial.