TUNIS, Feb 15 — Tunisian police detained opposition leader Olfa Hamdi on Sunday as she arrived at the capital’s main airport, local media reported.
Hamdi, who heads the Third Republic party, was stopped shortly after disembarking from an international flight. She lives abroad and previously served as chief executive of Tunisair, the country’s national airline.
An outspoken critic of President Kais Saied, Hamdi has opposed his consolidation of power since 2021. She has called for a transitional government and early presidential elections to pull Tunisia out of its political and economic crisis.
Opposition figures said her detention signals a widening crackdown on dissent as political divisions deepen.
Saied granted himself sweeping executive powers in 2021, a move critics labelled a coup that dismantled much of Tunisia’s democratic progress.
Since then, dozens of politicians, activists and journalists have been arrested or prosecuted. Earlier this month, police detained a lawmaker known for publicly mocking the president.
Opposition leaders argue the arrests are aimed at silencing critics and tightening control over public life, accusing Saied of turning Tunisia into what they describe as a prison for dissent.
Authorities have not issued an immediate statement on Hamdi’s detention or any potential charges. Reuters was unable to reach her lawyer or family for comment.
Saied denies accusations of authoritarianism, saying the law is applied equally to all citizens.