New York, October 25, 2024 – Tunisian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release political commentator Sonia Dahmani, who was sentenced on Thursday to two years in prison for spreading false news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.
“Sonia Dahmani is already serving an eight-month prison term in Tunisia and sentencing her to two more years over her radio and television commentary is simply cruel,” said CPJ Interim MENA Program Coordinator Yeganeh Rezaian, from Washington, D.C. “Tunisian authorities must drop all charges against Dahmani and cease arresting journalists for doing their jobs.”
Dahmani is a lawyer in addition to providing commentary on political affairs for local independent radio station IFM and television channel Carthage Plus.
She was convicted on October 24 under Decree 54 on cybercrime over her comments on IFM radio about sub-Saharan Africans in Tunisia facing racism. The presidential decree was introduced in 2022 after President Kais Saied suspended parliament and introduced a new constitution, giving himself nearly unchecked power.
In September, Dahmani was given an eight-month sentence following her arrest on May 11 over comments she made on Carthage Plus, where she criticized Tunisia’s living conditions and discussed immigration.
Saied won a landslide victory in elections earlier this month in a vote that was widely boycotted following the arrest of potential rivals and independent journalists.
Tunisian authorities have been aiming to silence opposition by tightening their grip on media freedom since before the October 6 elections
CPJ’s email to the Presidency requesting comment on Dahmani’s sentence did not receive any reply.