Tunisia: lawyer sent to prison for ‘mocking’ Saied’s speech about immigrants

A Tunisian court has sentenced lawyer and media personality Sonia Dahmani to eight months in prison after she made allegedly “mocking” remarks about President Kais Saied’s speech about irregular migrants in the country. Samir Dilou, a member of Dahmani’s defence team, gave details of the case to the official news agency on Tuesday evening.

“The Court of Appeal reduced the initial sentence from one year in prison to eight months in prison,” explained Dilou, who added that the sentence is subject to appeal. “Dahmani’s trial is being conducted in accordance with Article 24 of Decree No. 54 [on combating crimes of information and communication systems] following a statement she made in the media regarding migrants from sub-Saharan African countries who are present in Tunisia.”

According to defence lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi speaking in July, Dahmani is being investigated in four other cases related to her remarks about racism in the country, criticism of ministers and the situation in prisons, as well as this case.

Dahmani received a summons on 10 May to appear before the investigating judge at the Court of First Instance for making “sarcastic” comments about a speech by President Kais Saied in which he said that “irregular African immigrants are planning to stay in Tunisia.” Security forces stormed into the Bar Association to arrest her on 11 May, and she has remained in custody ever since.

Saied claims that the judiciary is independent and that he does not interfere in its work, but the opposition accuses him of using the judiciary to prosecute those who reject the exceptional measures he has imposed on Tunisia since July 2021. Those measures include dissolving the judiciary and parliament, issuing legislation by presidential decree, approving a new constitution through a popular referendum, and holding early legislative elections.

Political forces describe Saied’s measures as a “coup against the [2014] revolution constitution and the establishment of absolute individual rule.” Saied’s supporters, meanwhile, say that they are a “course correction for the 2011 revolution” that overthrew then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

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