Tunisian lawyer and media commentator Sonia Dahmani has become the target of escalating government repression after criticizing Tunisia’s living conditions and immigration policies. Dahmani was first sentenced to eight months in prison in September 2024 after making critical remarks on the TV station Carthage Plus. In October 2024, she received an additional sentence under the country’s cybercrime law for allegedly spreading “false news” during a separate interview on the independent radio station IFM, where she denounced the mistreatment of sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia.
Now, the Tunisian authorities are pursuing a third sentence, seeking an additional two-year prison term for what they claim are separate offenses, even though both stem from her journalistic commentary on the same issue. This would bring her total jail time to four years, triggering outrage from international press freedom advocates.
“This appears to be a targeted effort to silence her personally,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, Chief Programs Officer at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
While Tunisian courts claim that the most recent sentence handed down on June 30, 2025, pertains to a second media appearance, press freedom organizations argue this is a clear example of judicial harassment and an attempt to criminalize dissenting voices.
At Free Press Alliance, we strongly condemn the repeated prosecutions against Sonia Dahmani. Her case is not only a violation of her freedom of expression, but a troubling sign of Tunisia’s growing crackdown on independent media and civil society. We call for her immediate and unconditional release and urge the international community to stand in solidarity with Tunisian journalists and commentators facing political persecution.