Tunisia court sentences lawyer critical of president to two years in prison
Dhamani's lawyers withdrew from the trial after the judge refused to adjourn the session on Monday, claiming Dhamani was being tried twice for the same act.
The court sentenced Dhamani for statements criticising practices against refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.
Lawyer Bassem Trifi said the verdict was 'a grave injustice'.
'What's happening is a farce. Sonia is being tried twice for the same statement,' said lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi, another lawyer for Dhamani.
Dhamani was arrested last year after making comments during a television appearance that questioned the government's stance on undocumented African refugees and migrants in Tunisia.
The case was brought under the nation's controversial cybercrime law, Decree 54, which has been widely condemned by international and local rights groups.
Most opposition leaders, some journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since Saied seized control of most powers, dissolved the elected parliament, and began ruling by decree in 2021 – moves the opposition has described as a coup.
Saied rejects the charges and says his actions are legal and aimed at ending years of chaos and rampant corruption.Human rights groups and activists say Saied has turned Tunisia into an open-air prison and is using the judiciary and police to target his political opponents.
Saied rejects these accusations, saying he will not be a dictator and seeks to hold everyone accountable equally, regardless of their position or name.
Earlier this year, the country carried out a mass trial in which dozens of defendants were handed jail terms of up to 66 years. Critics denounced the trial as politically motivated and baseless.
The defendants faced charges including 'conspiracy against state security' and 'belonging to a terrorist group', according to their lawyers.
Among those targeted were figures from what was once the biggest party, Ennahda, such as the leader and former Speaker of Parliament Rached Ghannouchi, former Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, and former Minister of Justice Noureddine Bhiri.
Tunisia had been celebrated as perhaps the only democratic success of the 2011 'Arab Spring' revolutions, with strong political engagement among its public and civil society members, who frequently took to the airwaves and streets to make their voices heard.
The years that followed the revolution, which overthrew long-time autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, saw the growth of a healthy political system with numerous elections declared free and fair by international observers.
But a weak economy and the strengthening of anti-democratic forces led to a pushback, capped off by Saied's dismissal of the government and dissolution of parliament.
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Associated Press
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To learn more about United for Human Rights, or to request free materials, visit About United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International Founded in 2001, Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is a nonprofit organization with the mission to inspire young people to become advocates for equality and peace through education on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its parent organization, United for Human Rights, operates globally with more than 150 chapters and materials translated into 27 languages, reaching people in 195 countries. Learn more: | MULTIMEDIA: Photo link for media: Photo Caption: Youth delegates from 38 nations gather under banners proclaiming 'Peace 2025' at the 19th International Human Rights Summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York on July 25, 2025. The event, themed 'Education for Peace,' unites activists and leaders to address global crises like human trafficking and nuclear threats through grassroots human rights education. (Photo courtesy of United for Human Rights). NEWS SOURCE: United for Human Rights ### MEDIA ONLY CONTACT: (not for publication online or in print) Jesse Morrow Media Relations - United for Human Rights (213) 676-4591 [email protected] ### Keywords: General Editorial, United for Human Rights, Human Rights Summit, United Nations Headquarters, NEW YORK, N.Y. This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (United for Human Rights) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P128003 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Yahoo
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CNN
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CNN has verified that Reyes has no criminal record in his home country, and his tattoo artist says he inked him in 2018, when Tren de Aragua was barely known inside Venezuela, let alone abroad. Reyes was among the first group of Venezuelan migrants sent to Cecot on March 16. In the first two weeks, they were completely cut off from the outside world and did not know if anyone else was aware of their situation, he says. But at the end of March, a second group of Venezuelan detainees arrived from the US. From them, Reyes learned for the first time that their story was getting global attention and that their relatives were desperately fighting for their release. He recalled one of the new arrivals saying: 'People are mobilizing with us outside. Your sister, your mother, and your aunt gave a television interview. And people are moving for us.' Reyes said the news gave everyone hope and, at least for the moment, made them forget about the prison official's initial warning that they would never leave that 'hell.' Two months into their detention, there was another hopeful dispatch when the detainees were visited by members of the Red Cross. The organization had been in touch with their family members, giving the inmates their first real line of communication with the outside. Reyes said the detainees relayed short messages through the organization, which took notes of what they said and delivered them to their families. 'I told my sister – I cried – and I told her, 'Take care of my mom, my dad, take care of my daughters. We'll be leaving soon, we'll see each other soon, we'll be together.' It was a short message,' he said. The visit also gave them another reason to carry on because, according to Reyes, they knew their families hadn't forgotten them. 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Reyes returned home to Machiques on Tuesday night, greeted by a roaring crowd of about 600 people, including relatives and neighbors. They had decorated his house with hand-drawn banners and a football-themed balloon arrangement of his favorite club Real Madrid. The crowd chanted his name, cried and threw foam in the air as Reyes hugged his mother Antonia and daughter Carla. He then went to the back of the house to greet his father, telling him: 'It's me, Dad. I'm OK. I'm back and I'm not leaving again.' Reyes said he returned home as a changed a man. Asked whether he has a message for US President Donald Trump, whose immigration crackdown led to his imprisonment, Reyes again cited a lesson he learned from the Bible: 'Do not judge by appearances, but with justice.'
