Tunisian police arrest prominent lawyer critical of president

12/5/2024 11:12

        Tunisian police stormed the building of the Deanship of Lawyers on Saturday and arrested Sonia Dahmani, a lawyer known for her fierce criticism of President Kais Saied, and then arrested two journalists who witnessed the confrontation, a journalists' syndicate said.
        
        Two IFM radio journalists, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaiss, were arrested, an official in the country's main journalists' syndicate said.
        
        The incident was the latest in a series of arrests and investigations targeting activists, journalists and civil society groups critical of Saied and the government.
        
        The move reinforces opponents' fears of an increasingly authoritarian government ahead of presidential elections expected later this year.
        
        Dahmani was arrested after she said on a television program this week that Tunisia is a country where life is not pleasant.
        
        She was commenting on a speech by Saied, who said there was a conspiracy to push thousands of undocumented migrants from Sub-Saharan countries to stay in Tunisia.
        
        Dahmani was called before a judge on Wednesday on suspicion of spreading rumors and attacking public security following her comments, but she asked for postponement of the investigation. The judge rejected her request.