TUNIS: Tunisian police detained opposition figure Olfa Hamdi as she arrived ​at the ⁠country’s main airport on Sunday, local media ‌reported, in the latest move against a critic of President ​Kais Saied.

Hamdi, leader of the Third Republic party, was ​detained shortly after disembarking ​from a flight, the reports said. She resides abroad and previously served as CEO ⁠of Tunisia's national carrier Tunisair.

Hamdi has repeatedly criticized Saied’s rule and called for the formation of a transitional government and early presidential elections.

Opposition figures described the ​arrest ‌as part ⁠of a ⁠wider crackdown on dissent, as Tunisia grapples with deepening polarization since ​Saied assumed sweeping powers in ‌2021, a move critics have denounced ⁠as a coup.

Authorities made no immediate comment on the arrest. Reuters has been unable to contact Hamdi's lawyer or any of her relatives.

In early February, police arrested a member of parliament known for mocking the president, in what opposition called an effort to stifle critic voices.

Many opposition ‌leaders, along with activists and journalists, are behind ⁠bars, with critics accusing Saied of having ​turned Tunisia into a prison since 2021.

Saied rejects the accusations, insisting that he is not ​a dictator and ‌that the law applies to ⁠everyone, regardless of their position.

(Reporting ​By Tarek Amara Editing by Christina Fincher)