Sonia Dahmani, arrested in 2024 after questioning government policy on African refugees and migrants, says she hopes her release will mark end of ‘nightmare’ for herself and other prisoners.Published On 27 Nov 202527 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareTunisia has freed prominent lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, after a year and a half in prison.Dahmani, who is also a media commentator, is widely seen as a leading dissenting voice in Tunisia, and her arrest prompted local protests demanding her release and international criticism.She was convicted over comments during a television appearance that questioned the government’s stance on undocumented African refugees and migrants in Tunisia. When asked whether they would try to stay and “conquer” Tunisia, Dahmani said: “What kind of extraordinary country are we talking about? The one that half of its youth want to leave?”A court said the comments had insulted Tunisia and spread false information intended to harm it.As Dahmani was released from a prison in Manouba near Tunis, dozens of her family members and activists chanted: “The police state’s era of repression is over.”She told reporters, “I hope this is the end of the nightmare for me and all the other prisoners.”Her lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi said the justice minister had issued a release order under a system that enables prisoners to apply for release after serving half their sentences.The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists welcomed Dahmani’s release and called for the release of other detained journalists.International and local rights groups said Dahmani’s imprisonment last year marked a deepening crackdown on dissent in the North African country.During a sweeping power grab in July 2021, Saied suspended parliament and expanded executive power so he could rule by decree. Since then, the president has jailed many of his critics. Advertisement Many of the powers that Saied had taken for himself were later enshrined in a new constitution, ratified in a widely boycotted 2022 referendum, while media figures and lawyers critical of Saied have been prosecuted a …
