Sonia Dahmani, a prominent Tunisian lawyer and outspoken critic of President Kais Saied, has been sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly insulting her country, as confirmed by her attorney.
The charges arise from comments Dahmani made during a local radio interview earlier this year, in which she labeled Tunisia a “racist country.” Her remarks followed a series of violent clashes between migrants and local residents. Her lawyer, Sami Ben Ghazi, provided this information to Reuters.
Dahmani has been in custody since May and had previously received an eight-month sentence in September for claiming that Tunisia was not a good place to live.
In a recent election, President Saied was re-elected, securing 90% of the vote and defeating two opponents, one of whom is currently imprisoned. Critics have condemned the election as a farce.
In the aftermath of the election, Saied’s opponents have called for calm and urged the government to release political prisoners and journalists. The president, who has been accused of staging a coup by dissolving parliament and ruling by decree since 2021, declared after his electoral victory that he would persist in combating what he termed “corrupt” and “traitorous” elements within the country.
In a related matter, another court recently sentenced prominent opposition figure Noureddine Bhiri to ten years in prison for inciting disobedience.
