Shortly after her arrest, a moving video of Chayma Issa was published on Facebook, Saturday November 29, 2025.
The political activist and opposition figure recorded the video in the morning before joining the march which was organized by several civil society actors and political parties against the repression.
« If you are watching this video, I have been arrested “, she said straight away. “ An unfair verdict of overwhelming severity has just been pronounced against me: twenty years in prison for a crime that I never committed. My only ‘mistake’ was to believe that I lived in a democratic and free country, and that, as a woman, I could express my convictions and participate in political life without intimidation or persecution. ”, she noted.
“Since I declared my opposition to the July 25 coup and to the power in place, I have suffered incessant harassment, of which the judgment announced yesterday is only the latest manifestation,” she added.
« Just yesterday, in front of the judge, I claimed to be able to demonstrate all the lies that this file is woven from and I asked for a fair trial, a fair trial “, she said, recalling that the demands of political prisoners in this matter were repressed.
« We are neither terrorists nor plotters; we have neither weapons nor money. All we have is our conscience and our unwavering love for our homeland “, she emphasized before bursting into tears. “ If you view these images, it is because I will no longer see my son, my father, my family (…) Continue to defend rights and freedoms, defend your freedom. That’s all that matters, because the injustice we suffer today can affect you tomorrow. I love you. Tunisians, stay united. »
Chayma Issa was arrested at the heart of the demonstration in defense of freedoms organized in downtown Tunis. According to several witnesses, including lawyer Dalila Ben Mbarek Msaddek, plainclothes agents arrested her while she was walking among the demonstrators. The operation took place quickly, in a big crowd, under the shocked gaze of the participants.
The arrest immediately sparked outrage among the crowd. Slogans denouncing the repression were raised, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
NJ
