In August 2020, Tunisian police forces physically assaulted Seif due to his support for a group of activists from the LGBTQIA+ community, who had been subjected to violence by the police. He was charged with assaulting public officials, damaging public property, and obstructing the operation of a government institution. The incident of the assault on Seif was recorded by cameras at the Wassila Bourguiba Hospital.

Again, on October 6, 2020, Seif was subjected to assault and arrest by police forces due to his participation in a peaceful march against the law criminalizing attacks against police forces. Seif was charged with blocking a public road and violating police officers’ dignity. This assault resulted in severe injuries, such as fractures in his right shoulder and nose, and damage to his left eye and knee.

On December 8, 2020, several human rights advocates in Tunisian participated in a peaceful demonstration to denounce the speech delivered by one of the members of parliament, in which the member engaged in flagrant discrimination and incitement to hatred against women and the LGBTQIA+ community. Drawing the demonstration, a member of the Tunisian Parliament from the Ennahdha movement attempted to run over the protestors with his car, and in response, Seif and his friend Hamza tried to stop him. Subsequently, the police arrested Seif Ayadi and Hamza Nasri and took them to the local police station before transferring them to the Bouchoucha Detention Center. The Public Prosecutor’s Office charged Hamza and Seif with damaging others’ property, and later, on December 10, they were released pending further proceedings. The date for the next hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Seif continues to face repetitive harassment from the police, as his Facebook accounts and email have been subjected to multiple hacking attempts. On December 22, 2020, security forces raided Saif’s home, breaking down the door and destroying its contents in search of documents related to Saif’s work without a warrant issued by the Public Prosecutors’ Office. On January 14, security officers threatened Seif and his friend Hamza Nasri with arrest following their participation in a peaceful commemoration of the Tunisian revolution, where they demanded the rights of the revolution’s victims and their families.