Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics
By Tarek Amara

Tunisia president rejects foreign interference after U.S. concern over arrests

FILE PHOTO: Tunisia's President Kais Saied gives a speech at the government's swearing-in ceremony at the Carthage Palace outside the capital Tunis, Tunisia February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTER

Tunisia's president on Thursday rejected "foreign interference and harm to the country's sovereignty" after the United States raised concerns over a recent wave of arrests of his critics.

"We are able to diagnose our problems," President Kais Saied said, adding whoever wants to help Tunisians should "return our looted money and drop the accumulated debts."

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators attend a protest against Tunisian President Kais Saied, on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, in Tunis, Tunisia January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

The United States on Wednesday said it was "deeply concerned" by the reported arrests of political figures, business leaders and journalists in Tunisia.

In recent days, Tunisian police have detained leading figures from opposition or critics of Saied, including prominent politicians, an influential businessman, the head of Tunisia's main independent news outlet.

‮"‬Our sovereignty is above all considerations... we are not under colonization, we are an independent sovereign country", Saied said in a meeting with his prime minister Najla Bouden.

Saied on Wednesday accused some of those detained of being responsible for price increases and food shortages in the north African country, and of wanting to fuel a social crisis.

The opposition has said the arrests aim to silence dissent, empower a slide towards autocracy and cover up Saied's failure to manage the worsening social and economic crisis.

The arrests have raised fears of a wider crackdown on dissent and prompted the U.N. Human Rights Office to call for the immediate release of detainees.

Tunisians have for months been suffering shortages of food commodities that economic experts say are mainly caused by a crisis in public finances as the state attempts to avert bankruptcy while negotiating for an international bailout.

Last month, Moody's ratings agency downgraded Tunisia's debt, saying it would likely default on sovereign loans.

Saied shut down parliament, dismissed the government in July 2021 and moved to rule by decree, moves his critics called a coup.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.