Kais Saied

Kais Saied is the current President of Tunisia. He is newsworthy due to increasing concerns about the state of democracy in Tunisia under his leadership. Recent events include the sentencing of numerous opposition figures, journalists, and lawyers to lengthy prison terms. These include opposition leader Abir Moussi (12 years), journalists Bohran Bssaies and Mourad Zghidi (3 years each), and opposition figures such as Nejib Chebbi, Ayachi Hammami, and Chaima Issa. These arrests and sentencings are part of what critics describe as a widening crackdown on dissent and a backsliding into authoritarianism, reversing the democratic progress made after the Arab Spring. Saied claims he is cleansing the country of "traitors," but his actions are raising alarms among activists and rights groups who see Tunisia returning to its pre-Arab Spring state.