Tunis: Authorities in Tunisia announced on Thursday that they had forbade a demonstration by the main coalition of the country's opposition, claiming that senior members are suspected of crimes against the state.

The "so-called National Salvation Front's" request to hold a march on Sunday, according to Tunis prefect Kamel Feki, "was not approved because some of its leaders are suspected of plotting against state security."

This month, about 20 prominent political figures—mostly opponents and detractors of President Kais Saied—have been detained in Tunisia.

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Several members of the Front and its main constituent, the Islamist-leaning Ennahdha party, have been detained in the largest round of arrests since Saied ousted the government and shuttered the legislature in a 2021 power grab.

According to Tunisian media, Sadok Chourou and Habib Ellouz, two party leaders, were detained on Thursday.

Ennahdha alleged that the arrests were made with the intention of "terrorising the opposition" and urged Tunisians to participate in the protest "en masse."

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In response to "political arrests and violations against public and individual freedoms," the NSF had called for a demonstration on Sunday.

Saied has charged those detained, among them the head of a well-known radio station, with "terrorism," causing ongoing food shortages, and conspiring against the government. The arrests have been referred to as a "politically motivated witch hunt" by Amnesty International.

Another demonstration against Saied's "one-man rule" is scheduled for Saturday but was not mentioned in the prefecture's statement. However, the UGTT reported on Thursday that a senior official from one of the major unions in Spain who had intended to attend the protest had been turned away at the Tunis airport.

We recently discovered with shock that comrade Marco Perez Molina has been prohibited from entering Tunisian territory, the statement read. "A further violation of trade union rights and the fundamental principles of freedoms and human rights," the UGTT declared.

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It happens less than two weeks after Saied demanded that Esther Lynch, the top union official in Europe, leave the nation after she spoke at a UGTT rally in support of Tunisian workers. 

Since one of its officials was detained in connection with a strike by traffic workers, the UGTT and Saied have been engaged in a simmering conflict. Unions are striking for political reasons, according to Saied.