Sonia Dahmani, a well-known Tunisian lawyer and outspoken critic of President Kais Saied, was sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday for allegedly insulting Tunisia, according to her defense team.
The charges stem from remarks Dahmani made earlier this year during a radio appearance, where she referred to Tunisia as a “racist country” in the context of clashes between locals and migrants, her lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi told Reuters. Dahmani has been in detention since May and was previously sentenced in a separate case to eight months in prison for stating that Tunisia was not a good place to live.
President Saied, who recently secured a second term with 90% of the vote in an election widely criticized by the opposition as undemocratic, has faced growing dissent. One of his opponents in the race was jailed during the election, heightening concerns over political repression.
Following his re-election, Saied reaffirmed his commitment to combating what he described as “corrupt, traitorous, and skeptical” elements in Tunisia, a stance he adopted after dissolving parliament and assuming rule by decree in 2021—actions the opposition views as a coup.
Calls for the release of political prisoners and journalists have intensified after the election. Last week, opposition leader Noureddine Bhiri was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly inciting disobedience.
