Tunisia has freed prominent lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, after a year and a half in prison.
Dahmani, who is also a media commentator, is widely seen as a leading dissenting voice in Tunisia, and her arrest prompted local protests demanding her release and international criticism.
She was convicted over comments during a television appearance that questioned the government’s stance on undocumented African refugees and migrants in Tunisia. When asked whether they would try to stay and “conquer” Tunisia, Dahmani said: “What kind of extraordinary country are we talking about? The one that half of its youth want to leave?”
A court said the comments had insulted Tunisia and spread false information intended to harm it.
As Dahmani was released from a prison in Manouba near Tunis, dozens of her family members and activists chanted: “The police state’s era of repression is over.”
She told reporters, “I hope this is the end of the nightmare for me and all the other prisoners.”
Her lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi said the justice minister had issued a release order under a system that enables prisoners to apply for release after serving half their sentences.
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