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CPJ condemns 18-month sentence against Tunisian commentator Sonia Dahmani

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CPJ condemns 18-month sentence against Tunisian commentator Sonia Dahmani

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New York, April 13, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to repeal the April 13 appeals court decision to uphold the conviction of Tunisian political commentator and lawyer Sonia Dahmani while reducing her sentence to 18 months in prison. Dahmani is currently free, but she risks being arrested at any moment, her sister, Ramla Dahmani, told CPJ via messaging app.

“The reduction of Sonia Dahmani’s sentence does not change the fact that she is being punished for her speech,” said Carlos Martínez de la Serna, CPJ’s program director. “Tunisian authorities should immediately and unconditionally repeal Sonia Dahmani’s conviction and end the use of Decree-Law 54 against all journalists in the country.”

Dahmani, recipient of CPJ’s 2025 International Press Freedom Award, has become a symbol of Tunisia’s increasing repression of press freedom. CPJ has documented at least five separate cases being brought against Dahmani in connection with her public commentary, reflecting a pattern of judicial harassment rather than legitimate prosecution.

This latest court judgment stems from her 2024 remarks on Carthage+ about racism and migration and was issued under Article 24 of Tunisia’s cybercrime Decree-Law 54, which imposes heavy prison terms for vaguely defined “false information.” Human rights groups have widely criticized the law as a primary tool used to criminalize dissent and target journalists, lawyers, and critics.

After serving more than a year in prison, Dahmani was released in November 2025, the same day the European Parliament issued an urgent resolution calling for her release amid rising press freedom concerns.

In May 2024, security forces raided the Tunis Bar Association to detain her for her media comments, marking her arrest as a significant escalation in Tunisia’s crackdown on dissent. Authorities have since continued to prosecute her in many separate cases and on different charges, illustrating how the legal system is being used to impose cumulative punishment for speech.

More broadly, Dahmani’s case highlights the expanding use of Decree-Law 54 against critical voices, including journalist Ghassen Ben Khelifa, editor-in-chief of the local independent newspaper Inhiyez, who was sentenced to two years in prison in March 2026 after facing prosecution related to a 2022 case in which he was accused of terrorism. Ben Khelifa is free, but faces the possibility of detention at any time.

CPJ calls on Tunisian authorities to:

  • Immediately and unconditionally repeal the conviction and 18-month sentence against Sonia Dahmani, and ensure her freedom.
  • Release all journalists detained for their work, including Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies.
  • End the judicial use of Decree-Law 54 against journalists and implement instead the country’s press code Decree-Law 115, which protects journalists against non-press-related prosecutions.

CPJ’s email to Tunisian authorities requesting comment did not receive a reply.

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