Tunisian police detain opposition figure Olfa Hamdi

Tunisian police detained opposition figure Olfa Hamdi as she arrived at the country’s main airport on Sunday, in the latest move against a critic ⁠of President Kais Saied.



Hamdi, leader of the Third Republic party, was detained shortly after disembarking from a flight.



She resides abroad and previously served as CEO of Tunisia's national carrier Tunisair.



Hamdi has repeatedly criticized Saied’s rule and called for the formation of a transitional government and early presidential elections.



Opposition figures described the arrest as part of a wider crackdown on dissent, as Tunisia grapples with deepening polarization since Saied assumed sweeping powers in 2021, a move critics have denounced as a coup.



Authorities made no immediate comment on the arrest.



In early February, police arrested a member of parliament known for mocking the president, in ⁠what opposition called an effort to stifle critic voices.