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Masked Tunisian police arrest prominent lawyer over media comments | Human Rights News

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Masked police officers are filmed storming the premises of the Bar Association’s office to arrest lawyer Sonia Dahmani.

A prominent Tunisian lawyer and two journalists have been arrested in the latest move by a presidential government that has shown little tolerance for criticism.

The arrest of lawyer and commentator Sonia Dahmani on Saturday evening was caught on camera as she was dragged out of the Law House, part of the country’s legal union, where she had sought refuge.

That same evening, TV and radio presenter Borhen Bssais and political commentator Mourad Zeghidi were also arrested for making statements about the government, before being held on a “48-hour arrest warrant and (they) must appear before an investigating judge,” she said Lawyer Ghazi Mrabet from the AFP news agency.

Dahmani was arrested after she refused to respond to a subpoena for questioning issued on Thursday. The subpoena reportedly related to comments she made on a television show on Wednesday.

Appearing on Carthage Plus’s Donya Zina show, Dahmani responded to host Braham Bsiss during a discussion about whether African refugees and sub-Saharan migrants passing through Tunisia would try to stay and ” conquer”.

“What kind of extraordinary country are we talking about? The one that half of his youth wants to leave?” She noted, pointing out that Tunisia is not an attractive country to settle in, given the declining standard of living that is pushing its youth to leave the country.

The AFP reported that many viewers found Dahmani’s comments “derogatory” to Tunisia’s image and issued a summons to appear before an investigative judge.

Dahmani was on the same show two weeks ago and delivered an impassioned broadside at the government and President Kais Saied for “turning Tunisia into a border guard for Europe” and “allowing a plan to turn it into ‘Lampedusa,'” in reference on the Italian island, where refugees and migrants without papers land.

Dahmani said she did not respond to Thursday’s subpoena because it did not provide a reason for being issued or provide supporting documentation.

Instead, she sought refuge at the Law House affiliated with the Tunisian Bar Association (ONAT), where a raid was subsequently carried out to arrest her.

Several journalists covering the case were also arrested, including Mourad Zghidi, Borhen Bsaies and France 24’s Maryline Dumas, who filmed part of the arrest during her report. All have since been released.

However, Dahmani’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Translation: Tunisian journalist Sonia Dahmani was violently kidnapped by masked agents during a live broadcast by Maryline Dumas live on France 24. Journalists around the world can no longer work peacefully.

Zeghidi was arrested in connection with a Facebook post in support of jailed journalist Mohamed Boughalleb, who was sentenced to six months in prison for defamation of a public official and “statements on television shows since February,” his lawyer said. The exact reasons for Bsaies’ arrest are unclear, but his lawyer suggested it was related to laws prohibiting the dissemination of information the state deems false.

Reacting to Dahmani’s arrest, Laarousi Zguir, head of the Tunis branch of the Tunisian Bar Association, said at a press conference later that evening: “We were surprised at around 8:45 p.m. by the sudden raid of many masked people who violated our bar office doors and.” Lawyers attacked both verbally and physically.”

Dahmani could reportedly be charged with violating Decree 54, a controversial law that prohibits the spread of “false news” on electronic networks that could “harm public security or national defense.”

Anyone found guilty under Decree 54 could face a five-year prison sentence and a fine of 50,000 Tunisian dinars ($15,600), doubling to a 10-year prison sentence if the “false reports” involve a public official.

The Tunisian Bar Association has called for a regional general strike in all courts in Tunis starting Monday in response to Saturday’s raid.

The issue of irregular migration is sensitive in Tunisia because journalists are often denied access to the tens of thousands of irregular arrivals who are forced to seek refuge in the olive fields near the coastal city of Sfax and wait for a boat to leave.

The black refugees and migrants hoping to emigrate to Europe are joined by many Tunisian youth who want to escape the country’s worsening financial situation.

In 2023, 17,322 Tunisian nationals arrived in Italy without documents, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights reported.

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