Tunisian police stormed Al Jazeera’s Tunis bureau, removing all personnel, after President Kais Saied dismissed the cabinet late Sunday in a move that critics termed as a coup, according to Al Jazeera.
According to Al Jazeera correspondents in Tunis, at least 10 highly armed police officers stormed the office on Monday, despite the fact that the officers did not have warrants for the search.
All journalists were asked to leave by the security personnel who stated they were following orders from the country’s judiciary.
The reporters’ phones and other personal belongings were seized, and they were not permitted back into the building to collect their belongings.
On Sunday, President Saied suspended the country’s parliament and dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi from his post, a move that his opponents denounced as an assault on democracy while others cheered in the streets.
Saied declared that he would seize executive control with the help of a new prime minister after violent protests broke out in many Tunisian cities over the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy.
Saied also lifted the immunity of the members of parliament, claiming that his acts were constitutional.
