May 11, 2024 – Headquarters of the Tunis Bar Association – Tunis
Lawyer. Arrested by masked men and detained
- Last update: 17:57 - First published
Lawyer and columnist Sonia Dahmani was arrested on May 11, live on television, by masked police officers who burst into the headquarters of the Tunis Bar Association, where she had taken refuge. Her arrest and convictions were carried out under Presidential Decree 54, the lawyer added.
According to the National Union of Tunisian Journalists, dozens of journalists, lawyers and opposition figures have been prosecuted or sentenced on the basis of this decree since it came into force in 2022 under President Saïed, officially to combat the dissemination of false information, but criticized for its broad interpretation.
In May, the lawyer was accused of having ironized on a television set about the possibility of sub-Saharan migrants wanting to settle permanently in Tunisia despite a serious economic crisis. “What extraordinary country are we talking about?” she asked another commentator.
Another member of her defense team, Me Pierre-Francois Feltesse, added that the lawyer was still to be tried for three other cases. Following a visit to Tunis in July, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, denounced a “drastic setback” for human rights in Tunisia and a “judiciary that has been undermined”.
Sonia Dahmani, in detention since May 11, was sentenced on Thursday October 24 to two years’ imprisonment under Presidential Decree 54 on the “dissemination of false news”, her lawyer, Chawki Tabib, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “The Correctional Chamber of the Court of First Instance sentenced Sonia Dahmani to two years’ imprisonment for media statements on racism in Tunisia,” he said.
This outspoken columnist is being prosecuted in five cases for critical media statements, added Mr Tabib. On several occasions, she has spoken publicly about the situation of migrants in the country and the problems of racism. In July, she was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment at first instance in the first of these cases, a sentence reduced to eight months on appeal in September, for remarks deemed critical of President Kaïs Saïed.
Sonia Dahmani received a new two-year prison sentence on Monday June 30, 2025. She was sentenced for denouncing negrophobia in Tunisia, as well as that of the Head of State during a speech in 2023. At the time, he criticized the arrival of “hordes of illegal sub-Saharan migrants” and a ‘plot’ to change “the demographic make-up of Tunisia”, remarks which triggered a violent anti-migrant campaign in the country.
Physical violence
| Hustle / Projection | |
| Kicks, punches, slaps | |
| Feet / knees on the nape of the neck, chest or face | |
| Blows to the victim while under control and/or on the ground | |
| Blows to the ears | |
| Strangulation / chokehold | |
| Painful armlock | |
| Fingers forced backwards | |
| Spraying with water | |
| Dog bites | |
| Hair pulling | |
| Painfully pulling by colson ties or handcuffs | |
| Sexual abuse | |
| Use of gloves | |
| Use of firearm | |
| Use of “Bean bags” (a coton sack containing tiny lead bullets) | |
| Use of FlashBall weapon | |
| Use of sound grenade | |
| Use of dispersal grenade | |
| Use of teargas grenade | |
| Use of rubber bullets weapon (LBD40 type) | |
| Use of batons | |
| Use of Pepper Spray | |
| Use of Taser gun | |
| Use of tranquillisers |
Psychological violence
| Charge of disturbing public order | |
| Charge of rebellion | |
| Accusation of beatings to officer | |
| Charge of threatening officer | |
| Charge of insulting an officer | |
| Charge of disrespect | |
| Charge of resisting arrest | |
| Photographs, fingerprints, DNA | |
| Threat with a weapon | |
| Aggressive behaviour, disrespect, insults | |
| Charging without warning | |
| Car chase | |
| Calls to end torment remained unheeded | |
| Sexist remarks | |
| Homophobic remarks | |
| Racist comments | |
| Violence by fellow police officers | |
| Passivity of police colleagues | |
| Lack or refusal of the police officer to identify him or herself | |
| Vexing or intimidating identity check | |
| Intimidation or arrest of witnesses | |
| Prevented from taking photographs or from filming the scene | |
| Refusal to notify someone or to telephone | |
| Refusal to administer a breathalyzer | |
| Refusal to fasten the seatbelt during transport | |
| Refusal to file a complaint | |
| Refusal to allow medical care or medication | |
| Lies, cover-ups, disappearance of evidence | |
| Undress before witnesses of the opposite sex | |
| Bend down naked in front of witnesses | |
| Lack of surveillance or monitoring during detention | |
| Lack of signature in the Personal Effects Register during detention | |
| Confiscation, deterioration, destruction of personal effects | |
| Pressure to sign documents | |
| Absence of a report | |
| Deprivation during detention (water, food) | |
| Inappropriate sanitary conditions during detention (temperature, hygiene, light) | |
| Complacency of doctors | |
| Kettling (corraling protestors to isolate them from the rest of the demonstration) | |
| Prolonged uncomfortable position |
- 30.06.2025 – Sentenced to another 2-year in prison
- 24.10.2024 – Sentenced to two years in prison under Presidential Decree 54 on “spreading false news”
- 00.09.2024 – Sentenced reduced to 8 months in appeal
- 00.07.2024 – Sentenced to 1 year in prison
- 11.05.2024 – Arrest
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