A Tunisian court has sentenced prominent lawyer Sonia Dhamani to two years in prison for statements criticizing the government’s practices against migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Dhamani’s lawyers withdrew from the trial, claiming she was being tried twice for the same act, and condemned the verdict as “a grave injustice”.
The case was brought under Tunisia’s controversial cybercrime law, Decree 54, which has been widely criticized by international and local rights groups.
The sentencing is seen as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in the country since President Kais Saied seized power in 2021, dissolving the elected parliament and beginning to rule by decree.
Many opposition leaders, journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned, prompting accusations that he is using the judiciary and police to target his opponents.
Saied, however, maintains that his actions are aimed at ending years of chaos and corruption in Tunisia.
