Tunisian police arrested opposition lawmaker Ahmed Saidani for mocking President Saied on social media, amid a crackdown on dissent.

Tunisian police arrested lawmaker Ahmed Saidani on Wednesday following a social media post mocking President Kais Saied, calling him the “supreme commander of sewage and rainwater drainage.” Saidani, elected in 2022 after Saied dissolved parliament, has become a vocal critic, accusing the president of consolidating power and avoiding accountability. Saied has ruled by decree since 2021, a move opponents and rights groups call a coup that led to the imprisonment of many critics. Though MPs have immunity, arrests can occur if a member is caught committing a crime. Saidani’s arrest is seen as part of a broader crackdown on dissent, with activists describing Tunisia as an “open-air prison.”