Tunisian politician Abir Moussi has been sentenced to two years in prison after criticising the legislative electoral process.

A prominent critic of Tunisian President Kais Saied, Moussi is head of the right-wing Free Destourian Party and has been detained since 2023. She was charged with “attempting to change the form of government,” “inciting violence,” and “attacking with the aim of provoking disorder” after she tried to submit an appeal against presidential decrees ahead of local elections.

Her sentencing on Thursday is part of what government critics say is a crackdown on opposition politicians.

In April, a Tunisian court sentenced 37 people including opposition figures, lawyers, and human rights defenders, to prison terms ranging from four to 74 years following a trial Amnesty International called “farcical”. The international rights NGO has called for the verdict to be quashed and the charges against all defendants in the case to be dropped.

Signs of authoritarianism

Such arrests have become increasingly common in Tunisia since Saied took power in 2019 and began a campaign that critics say has reversed the country’s path toward democracy. In the years before he was elected president, the nation of 12 million people emerged as a regional beacon of hope, overthrowing a longtime dictator in a peaceful revolution, rewriting its constitution and winning a Nobel Peace Prize for political compromise.

But signs of authoritarianism have re-emerged since Saied took power while promising to fight corruption and lift the country from years of economic malaise in ways democracy couldn’t. He has suspended parliament, rewritten the constitution to consolidate his power and arrested politicians, activists and journalists who criticized him. In April, Human Rights Watch accused Saied of overseeing politically motivated arrests and prosecutions to intimidate and silence critics

Others arbitrarily detained in Tunisia include both prominent figures and private citizens. Among them are Rached Tamboura, a calligraphy student imprisoned for graffiti denouncing Saied and his treatment of Black migrants; right-wing politician Abir Moussi; and numerous members and former officials of Ennahda, the Islamist party sidelined under Saied’s rule.

The most prominent detainee is the party’s former leader Rached Ghannouchi, arrested in 2023 and now facing multiple charges. His family told Human Rights Watch that some of his requests for routine medical care have been denied.

Also detained is Sihem Bensedrine, a lawyer and former head of Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission, which investigated abuses under longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Bensedrine was charged and imprisoned under Saied.

Human Rights Watch has called on Tunisia’s allies and partners — including the European Union — to review agreements with the country to ensure it complies with human rights obligations.

A Kenyan police officer was arrested Thursday in connection with the death of a blogger in police custody that led to protests in the streets of the capital where two vehicles were burned and several protesters injured.

Protesters took to the streets of Nairobi and destroyed property of unknown value while calling for the resignation of a top police officer named in the case.

Albert Ojwang, who blogged about corruption on the social platform X, was arrested on June 6 in western Kenya and driven 400 kilometers (248 miles) to Nairobi for what police said was publishing “false information” about a top police official on social media. He died two days later at the Central Police Station after “hitting his head against the cell wall,” police said. Amnesty International and local activists have questioned that account.

A government pathologist has refuted the police’s account that the blogger’s injuries were self-inflicted, saying the deceased had “head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault.”

The protesters on Thursday occupied the road in Nairobi leading to the parliamentary building, where the national budget was due to be presented.

Police on Monday fired tear gas to disperse another protest demanding accountability for Ojwang’s death.

Authorities have since said an official investigation is underway.

President William Ruto in a statement on Wednesday said Ojwang’s death was “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”

“I strongly condemn the actions and omissions, including any negligence or outright criminality, that may have contributed to his untimely death,” Ruto said.

The blogger’s death comes almost a year after several activists and protesters were killed and abducted by Kenyan police during finance bill protests. The rallies led to calls for the removal of Ruto, who has been criticized for what some say is his authoritarian streak.

Nigeria commemorated 26 years of uninterrupted democratic rule on Thursday since the return to civilian governance in 1999.

But the day did not call for celebration in the minds of all Nigerians: in major cities like Lagos and Abuja, hundreds of protesters took to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction with what they describe as the failure of successive governments to deliver the true dividends of democracy.

A major issue is the two-year-old cost-of-living crisis, which has seen inflation soar and many citizens struggle to make ends meet.

Convener of the #EndBadGovernance movement, Hassan Taiwo Soweto, said crucial democratic freedoms were missing in Nigeria. “All of the freedoms that a people in a democratic country ought to enjoy do not exist in Nigeria,” he told the Associated Press.

Nigerians already protested in August 2024 against the cost of living and inflation under the movement name #EndBadGovernance. But the government deployed the army and police forces, and at least 24 protesters were killed, according to Amnesty International.

On Thursday, security forces were seen monitoring the protests, which remained largely peaceful.

Protest for some, celebration for others

While democracy day protesters were exercising their rights, pro-government supporters said today should not be a day of protest but a celebration.

“If you were around during June 12, you would know that it’s a day worth celebrating. We’re not saying everything is perfect in the country,” said the convener of Team Nigeria for Change, Bestman Nze-Jumbo.

Democracy Day, celebrated annually on June 12, was established to honour the legacy of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, but was annulled by the military government at the time.

As Nigeria navigates its democratic journey, citizens and stakeholders alike are urging leaders to recommit to the principles of accountability, transparency, and inclusion – essential pillars for a democracy that truly serves its people.