On the occasion of Tunisia's Independence Day on Monday, the Greens in the Bundestag are harshly criticizing President Kais Saied's course. Its recent "more and more autocratic and nationalistic governance" is extremely worrying, said Green MP Tobias Bacherle of the German Press Agency in Berlin.

Saied silenced opposition voices, closed civil society spaces and incited hateful speeches against black people. "This is particularly bitter in light of the hopeful developments following the Arab revolutions at the beginning of the last decade."

The Tunisian government must "protect and guarantee basic human rights for all people in Tunisia," Bacherle demanded. The release of those imprisoned for political reasons, such as the activist and poet Chaima Issa and the journalist Nourredine Boutar, is urgently needed.

restriction of democratic institutions

Saied is securing more and more power at the expense of other democratic institutions. He dissolved parliament and had a new parliament elected with significantly fewer powers. The head of state also introduced a new constitution, thanks to which he can appoint and dismiss judges of his own accord. He's getting tougher and harder on his political opponents. He recently arrested dozens of critics, including opposition politicians, judges and a journalist. Once a pioneer in the Arab world, Tunisia's freedom of the press has also suffered since Saied's rise to power.

Tunisia's head of state has also been criticized for a speech about refugees. He accused migrants from sub-Saharan Africa of bringing violence and crime into the country. Hostilities and racist attacks on black people have increased sharply since the President's speech. Security forces also arrested hundreds to check if they were in the country legally.

The President has since rowed back in the face of the fierce criticism. Journalists, he argues, took his words out of context.