France, April 16 -- The non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has just released a new report on Tunisia, denouncing the government's use of arbitrary detention as "a cornerstone of its repressive policy" and claiming it is designed to strip individuals of their civil and political rights.

The NGO says that its research suggests that, since President Kais Saied's takeover of Tunisia's state institutions on 25July 2021, the authorities have dramatically intensified their repression of dissent.

The 42-page reportdocuments the Tunisian government's increased reliance on arbitrary detention and politically motivated prosecutions to intimidate, punish, and silence its critics.

"Tunisian authorities should immediately release...