Tunisia: police storm Bar Association HQ to arrest another lawyer

Tunisian police stormed the headquarters of the Bar Association for the second time in two days and arrested another lawyer, witnesses said on Monday. Two journalists as well as a lawyer critical of the president were detained over the weekend, reported Reuters.

A live broadcast on media website TUNMEDIA showed videos of broken doors and toppled chairs as police arrested Mahdi Zagrouba while other lawyers shouted in the background. Zagrouba is a prominent lawyer known for his opposition to President Kais Saied. On Saturday, police arrested lawyer Sonia Dahmani, also known for her fierce criticism of Saied.

Dahmani had said on a television programme last week that Tunisia is a country where life is not pleasant. She was commenting on a speech by Saied, who said there was a conspiracy to push thousands of undocumented migrants from Sub-Saharan countries to stay in Tunisia.

Some opposition parties described the storming of the lawyers’ building at the weekend as “a shock and major escalation”, and the Bar Association declared a nationwide strike.

Dozens of lawyers, including Zagrouba, gathered earlier on Monday in front of a courtroom, chanting slogans. “The judicial decision against Zagrouba was due to his physical and verbal assault on two policemen today near the courtroom,” said the interior ministry.

Tunisia’s public prosecutor extended on Monday the detention of two journalists, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaiss, who were also arrested on Saturday after radio comments and social media posts.

Saied took office following free elections in 2019, but two years later seized additional powers when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by presidential decree. He also assumed authority over the judiciary, a step that the opposition called a coup.

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