Tunisia to free opposition figure after 4 months in jail

Opposition Figure Chaima Issa was arrested along with 20 other opposition, media and business figures in February.

Supporters of Chaima Issa protesting in front of the prison where she is held.

TUNIS: A Tunisian judge on Friday ordered the release of opposition figure Chaima Issa four months after her arrest on suspicion of "plotting against state security", her lawyer told AFP.

Issa should walk free later in the day unless the prosecution appeals by 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) against the decision taken by a judge from the anti-terrorism unit, said defence attorney Dalila Msaddek.

A member of Tunisia's main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (NSF), Issa was arrested along with some 20 other opposition, media and business figures in February.

They were detained in connection with an investigation into claims of "plotting against state security" and branded as "terrorists" by President Kais Saied.

The president froze parliament and sacked the government in a dramatic July 2021 move against the sole democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings.

His critics have dubbed the move a "coup" while local and international rights groups decried a "witch hunt" aimed at "repressing" free opinion in the North African country.