TUNIS: Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday denounced foreign “interference” following international criticism of a recent flurry of arrests of political commentators, lawyers and journalists in the North African country.
Saied, who in 2021 orchestrated a sweeping power grab, ordered the foreign ministry to summon diplomats and “inform them that Tunisia is an independent state.”
Speaking during a televised meeting, the president told Mounir Ben Rjiba, state secretary to the foreign ministry, to “summon as soon as possible the ambassadors of a number of countries,” without specifying which ones.
Ben Rjiba was asked to “strongly object to them that what they are doing is a blatant interference in our internal affairs.”
“Inform them that Tunisia is an independent state that adheres to its sovereignty,” Saied added.
“We didn’t interfere in their affairs when they arrested protesters... who denounced the war of genocide against the Palestinian people,” he added, referring to demonstrations on university campuses in the United States and elsewhere over the Israel-Hamas war.
Several prominent Tunisian pundits, journalists, lawyers and civil society figures have been arrested in recent days, many of whom over a decree that punishes “spreading false information” with up to five years in prison.
Since Decree 54 came into force with Saied’s ratification in 2022, more than 60 journalists, lawyers and opposition figures have been prosecuted under it, according to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists.
Late Saturday, masked police raided the Tunisian bar association headquarters and forcibly arrested lawyer Sonia Dahmani over critical comments she had made on television.
On Monday police entered the bar association again and arrested Mehdi Zagrouba, another lawyer, following a physical altercation with officers. Zagrouba was subsequently hospitalized.
The arrests have sparked Western condemnation.
The European Union on Tuesday expressed concern that Tunisian authorities were cracking down on dissenting voices.
France denounced “arrests, in particular of journalists and members of (non-governmental) associations,” while the United States said they were “in contradiction” with “the universal rights explicitly guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution.”
The media union said Wednesday that Decree 54 was “a deliberate attack on the essence of press freedom and a vain attempt to intimidate journalists and media employees and sabotage public debate.”
NGOs have decried a rollback of freedoms in Tunisia since Saied — who was elected democratically in October 2019 with a five-year mandate — began ruling by decree following the July 2021 power grab.

MANAMA: The King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, called for an international conference for peace in the Middle East at the opening of the Arab League Summit in Manama.

The king, and the summit’s host, reaffirmed his country’s support for the full recognition of a Palestinian state and the acceptance of its membership in the United Nations.

He stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state will reflect positively on the region.

Last week, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member and called on the UN Security Council to reconsider the request.

The vote by the 193-member General Assembly was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member - a move that would effectively recognize a Palestinian state - after the US vetoed it in the UN Security Council last month.

“What the Palestinians are facing requires a unified international stance,” the King of Bahrain said.

During his opening remarks at the summit, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for the establishment of an internationally recognized Palestinian state.

The prince was among the Arab delegates who arrived in Manama on Thursday for the Arab League Summit.

#PHOTOS: #SaudiArabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in #Manama for 2024 #Arab League summit https://t.co/zq5WR48Ig9 pic.twitter.com/IrbZKdQ5rS

— Arab News (@arabnews) May 16, 2024

During his speech, the prince highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reiterating Saudi Arabia’s support for issues of the Arab world.

He urged the international community to back ceasefire efforts and halt the aggression on Palestinian civilians.

It is the first time the Arab leaders come together after Riyadh hosted an extraordinary summit in November where the bloc condemned Israel’s “barbaric” actions in Gaza.

The one-day summit was set to discuss events in Gaza, propose a ceasefire and push for a Palestinian state.

“The Kingdom calls for conflict resolution through peaceful means,” the prince said.

Palestinian leader slams Hamas

The Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas criticized Hamas for giving Israel the ‘pretext to attack’ Gaza with the Oct. 7 attack.

“Hamas’ rejection of ending the division serves Israel’s interest in ending the two-state solution,” he noted, pointing to the long-standing tensions between the Palestinian Authority and the militant group governing Gaza.

He said the Palestinian government has not received the financial support it had expected from international and regional partners, noting that Israel is still withholding the funds and creating a dire situation.

the Palestinian leader called on Arab countries for financial support and the US to pressure Israel into releasing the funds.

“It has now become critical to activate the Arab safety net, to boost the resilience of our people and to enable the government to carry out its duties,” Abbas added.

He also urged the international community to start immediately with the implementation of the two-state solution and reiterated ‘full rejection’ of the displacement of Palestinians, who just marked the 76th anniversary of the 1948 Nakba.

Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad were among the attendees on Thursday.