Tunisia court releases former presidential hopeful

A Tunisian court released government critic and former presidential hopeful Safi Said from custody Thursday after he was arrested for crossing into Algeria "illegally", Tunisian media reported.

Said, 70, a vocal opponent of Tunisian President Kais Saied, had planned to challenge the incumbent in an 6 October election but has dropped out, calling it a "bad farce".

In a statement posted on social media on 9 August, he complained about "inequality of opportunity, high obstacles and a lack of clarity in the rules" for would-be candidates.

Earlier in June, he was sentenced to four months in prison for forging signatures of endorsement for his candidacy in the 2014 presidential election.

Said had been detained by a court in the western town of Kasserine earlier this week for "illegally crossing the border of a neighbouring country".

He joins a number of political figures critical of Saied who have been prosecuted and jailed in recent months.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tunisian authorities "have prosecuted, convicted or imprisoned at least eight prospective candidates" for the October vote.

Jailed would-be candidates include Issam Chebbi, leader of the centrist Al Joumhouri party, and Ghazi Chaouchi, head of the social-democratic party Democratic Current, both held for "plotting against the state".

Critics accuse Saied, who was democratically elected in 2019 but has since orchestrated a sweeping power grab, of authoritarianism.

"After jailing dozens of prominent opponents and activists, Tunisian authorities have removed almost all serious contenders from the presidential race, reducing this vote to a mere formality", said HRW's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Bassam Khawaja.

Just two hopefuls - former lawmaker Zouhair Maghzaoui, 59, and Ayachi Zammel, leader of the small liberal party Azimoun - have been given the go-ahead to run against Saied.

Election organisers said the other 14 hopefuls failed to provide the required signatures of endorsement from 10,000 registered voters.