Tunisia: outspoken lawyer freed from prison after 18 months

Prominent outspoken lawyer, Sonia Dahmani has been freed from prison in Tunisia on November 27th after having spent 18 months in jail, France 24 via Reuters reported.

Dahmani is a lawyer as well as a media commentator. She was a fierce critic of Tunisia’s President Kais Saied, and has largely been seen as a forthright voice for the people of Tunisia.

Last year Dahmani was sentenced to two years in prison following comments she made in a television appearance, questioning the government’s treatment of migrants from Africa. She was sentenced for insulting her country and allegedly spreading misinformation intending to harm Tunisia’s image.

The arrest of Dahmani for her comments exists in a time of increasing political repression and a crackdown on freedom of speech in Tunisia. Last month the Tunisian government suspended the work of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) and reportedly, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD). Multiple journalists have spoke out against state censorship.

According to Dahmani’s laywer, Sami Ben Ghazi, the justice minister issued a released order that enables prisoners to apply for their release after having served half of their sentence.

Following the release of Dahmani from Manouba prison, hopes surfaced for other government critics, journalists and opposition leaders to walk free. Her family and activists gathered in the streets chanting for the end of a police-stoked era of repression. In an official statement by Dahmani, she said “I hope this is the end of the nightmare for me and all the other prisoners.”

Tunisia’s political climate is strongly defined by friction between Saied and his critics. Many have accused Saied of abusing his power after seizing control of the nation.

Activists have accused Saied of unfairly sanctioning his political opponents. Meanwhile, Saied has claimed his actions fit within Tunisia’s legal frameworks and aim to solve the years of corruption and instability which have staggered the country’s growth.

France 24 via Reuters, Maghrebi.org