Tunisia opposition figure Issa denounces military prosecution as creating fear about civil freedoms

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA
Associated Press

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A prominent opposition figure on trial in Tunisia on charges of undermining state security is warning that efforts to prosecute her are sowing fear about civil rights and liberties. Chaima Issa is a leader in the coalition of parties opposed to President Kais Saied. She spoke to journalists outside a military court despite a gag order and criticized the charges as politically motivated. To government critics, her case encapsulates growing fears about democratic backsliding in Tunisia under Saied. Critics of the president have increasingly faced prosecution and arrests. More than 20 have been charged in military courts with “plotting against state security.”