Tunisia Releases Prominent Lawyer And Critic Of President Saied

Tunisia has let Sonia Dahmani, a well-known lawyer and outspoken opponent of President Kais Saied, out after she spent a year and a half in jail. Dahmani’s release comes after rights organizations said that the Tunisian government has been cracking down on dissent in a systematic way, and there has been mounting pressure from both inside and outside the country to stop it.

In May 2024, Dahmani, who is also a media pundit, was jailed after she spoke out against Tunisia’s immigration policy on TV. The court saw her words as “insulting to Tunisia” and “spreading false information,” which led to demonstrations and significant criticism from legal and journalistic groups.

Conviction Over Comments On Migration And Governance

Dahmani was found guilty because she said on TV that the government was treating illegal African refugees and migrants badly. When asked if migrants wanted to “conquer” Tunisia, she said, “What kind of amazing country are we talking about?” The one that half of its young people want to leave?

Authorities said she was hurting the state’s prestige and defaming it, while others said her detention showed how the government was becoming less tolerant of people who disagree with it. Her detention became a symbol of how Saied’s reign has made Tunisia’s civic space smaller.

Supporters Celebrate Her Release From Manouba Prison

Dozens of friends, family members, and activists gathered outside Manouba Prison in Tunis as Dahmani was released. They chanted, “The police state’s era of repression is over.” People in the audience cheered her release as a win for free speech and fair courts.

Dahmani told reporters that she was relieved and said, “I hope this is the end of the nightmare for me and all the other prisoners.” Her statements showed that Tunisians who have spoken out against Saied’s regime are still afraid of being politically persecuted.

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Justice Ministry Authorizes Her Early Release

Sami Ben Ghazi, Dahmani’s lawyer, stated that Tunisia’s justice minister let her go because she had served half of her sentence and could petition for parole. The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists praised the action and asked the government to liberate all of the other journalists and activists who are still in jail.

Human rights groups said that Dahmani’s detention was a politically motivated attempt to suppress critics. They linked her case to the general erosion in Tunisia’s democratic liberties since 2021.

Saied’s Power Grab And Constitutional Changes

Since taking a lot of authority in July 2021, President Saied has governed by decree, disbanded parliament, and rewritten the constitution in a referendum that opposition parties boycotted in 2022. The new constitution made many of the emergency powers he had taken on when he first took office official.

Saied’s government has jailed several lawmakers, journalists, and attorneys under a “fake news” legislation that went into effect in 2022. This law makes it a crime to say anything that “harms public order” or “defames the state.” People who don’t like the bill say it’s being used to stifle free speech and go after political opponents.

Crackdown On Opposition And Civil Society

Amnesty International said in November that Tunisia’s assault on rights groups had reached a “critical level.” They cited arbitrary arrests, asset freezes, and the suspension of at least 14 NGOs. Human Rights Watch also recorded more than 50 politically motivated arrests since late 2022.

The crackdown has spread beyond the usual opposition groups to encompass attorneys, professors, journalists, and even those who used to be close to Saied. The net is becoming bigger because the president is becoming more powerful and less willing to listen to opposition.

Former Allies And Political Rivals Targeted

At first, Saied’s government went after the Ennahdha Party, which used to be Tunisia’s biggest political party, calling it a cause of instability. Rached Ghannouchi, the group’s head, has been condemned to jail multiple times for crimes that many people think were politically motivated.

Even those who used to be friends with Saied have been persecuted. In July 2025, Nadia Akacha, the president’s former chief of staff and closest adviser, was sentenced to 35 years in jail in absentia. This shows how divided Saied’s previous circle of power is.

Rights Groups Call For Broader Release Of Detainees

Dahmani’s release is a symbolic win for free speech activists, but human rights campaigners say that Tunisia has to do more and liberate everyone who has been arrested for speaking out against the government. They say that eliminating laws that limit freedom and restoring the independence of the courts are necessary steps to regain faith in Tunisia’s democratic institutions.

As Tunisia’s economy struggles and its politics are unstable, experts say that Saied’s administration might become even more isolated at home and abroad if it doesn’t make real changes. They think that Dahmani’s independence should be the first step toward stopping repression and starting democratic discussion again in North Africa’s democracy, which used to be quite promising.