TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisian lawyer and outspoken government critic Sonia Dahmani has been sentenced to two years in prison in the latest ruling against one of President Kais Saied’s most visible opponents, deepening concerns over Tunisia’s accelerating crackdown on dissent, May 26, 2026.
The ruling, handed down by the Tunis Court of First Instance, stems from comments Dahmani made in a 2023 radio interview criticizing prison conditions in Tunisia. Her lawyer, Sami Ben Ghazi, confirmed an appeal has already been filed as rights groups and press freedom organizations condemned the verdict as politically motivated.
Sonia Dahmani faces mounting legal pressure
Dahmani, a lawyer and television commentator known for criticizing Saied’s administration, is currently facing prosecution in five separate cases linked to media appearances and public commentary. Tunisian authorities have increasingly relied on the country’s controversial cybercrime Decree Law 54, legislation critics say is being weaponized to silence opposition voices.
According to Al Jazeera’s reporting on the verdict, prosecutors argued Dahmani spread false information harmful to public institutions after she described deteriorating prison conditions during a radio broadcast.
The latest sentence comes only months after Dahmani was conditionally released from prison in late 2025 following more than 18 months behind bars over earlier comments about racism and migration policies in Tunisia.
International watchdogs condemn Tunisia’s actions
The Committee to Protect Journalists sharply criticized the new conviction, warning that Tunisia’s civic freedoms continue to deteriorate under Saied’s administration. In a statement published by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the organization described the prosecution as “judicial harassment” aimed at suppressing free expression.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Tunisian authorities of targeting journalists, lawyers and opposition figures through politically sensitive prosecutions. Critics argue the country’s democratic gains following the Arab Spring are being steadily dismantled.
How Sonia Dahmani’s legal troubles escalated over time
Dahmani’s legal battles have unfolded over several years and have become symbolic of Tunisia’s shrinking political space.
In July 2024, a Tunisian court sentenced her to one year in prison after remarks criticizing living conditions in the country, according to an earlier Reuters report on her first major conviction.
Months later, she received another prison sentence tied to comments describing Tunisia as a racist country amid tensions involving migrants and sub-Saharan Africans. Reuters detailed that ruling in a separate October 2024 investigation into Tunisia’s prosecutions of critics.
Her arrest in May 2024 also triggered protests from lawyers and civil society groups after masked officers detained her inside Bar Association headquarters in Tunis, an incident widely circulated on social media and international news outlets.
Tunisia’s democratic backsliding draws wider scrutiny
President Kais Saied, elected in 2019 after Tunisia emerged as the lone democratic success story of the Arab Spring, has faced mounting criticism since dissolving parliament and consolidating executive power in 2021.
Rights advocates say Tunisia has witnessed an escalating pattern of arrests and prosecutions targeting opposition politicians, journalists and activists. Coverage from The New Arab noted that Dahmani’s latest sentence further intensifies fears over judicial independence and free speech protections in the country.
Despite the appeal filed by her defense team, Dahmani’s future remains uncertain as multiple pending cases continue moving through Tunisia’s courts.
