TUNIS: Sonia Dahmani, a prominent Tunisian lawyer known for her criticism of President Kais Saied, has been sentenced to one year in prison, her legal representative said on Saturday.
The court ruling reinforces opposition concerns that critical voices will continue to be targeted ahead of a presidential election on Oct. 6.
“The one-year prison sentence is unjust and confirms the targeting of free speech,” Dahmani’s lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi told Reuters.
Dahmani was arrested in May after appearing on a television program in which she said Tunisia is a country where life is not pleasant.
Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are in prison, have accused Saied’s government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to target his election rivals.
They say fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media is allowed to operate without pressure from the government.
Lotfi Mraihi, leader of the opposition Republican Union Party, who has announced his intention to run in the presidential election, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of money laundering.
Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a prominent candidate, has been in prison since October 2023 on charges of harming public security.
Some potential candidates, including Safi Saeed, Mondher Znaidi, Nizar Chaari and Abd Ellatif Mekki, are facing prosecution for alleged crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Rached Ghannouchi, a fierce critic of Saied and head of the Ennahda main opposition party, was jailed last year on charges of incitement against police and plotting against state security.
Saied, a retired law professor who was elected president in 2019, has not officially announced his candidacy to stand for a second term. Last year he said he will not hand power to what he called non-patriots.
In 2021, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in a move that the opposition described as a coup. Saied said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
Tunisian court jails prominent critic of president
https://arab.news/jpfd5
Tunisian court jails prominent critic of president
- The court ruling reinforces opposition concerns that critical voices will continue to be targeted ahead of a presidential election on Oct. 6
- “The one-year prison sentence is unjust and confirms the targeting of free speech,” said Dahmani’s lawyer
Yemen announces new government led by Al-Zindani, women return to the fold
- The reshuffle also marks the return of women to Yemen’s cabinet for the first time since 2015
ADEN: Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi issued a decree on Friday to form a new government, appointing Shayea Mohsen Al-Zindani as prime minister, who will also serve as minister of foreign affairs and expatriate affairs.
Republican Decree No. 3 of 2026, issued on Friday evening, sets out the new cabinet lineup, according to Yemen’s official news agency.
The decision comes days after Al-Zindani was tasked with forming the government and follows his proposal and approval by the Presidential Leadership Council, in line with the constitution and transitional framework, including the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism.
The new government comprises 35 ministers across sovereign and service portfolios, including defense, interior, foreign affairs, finance and oil, as well as education, health, electricity, water and transport, alongside several ministers of state.
The reshuffle also marks the return of women to Yemen’s cabinet for the first time since 2015.
Afrah Al-Zuba was appointed minister of planning and international cooperation, Judge Ishraq Al-Maqtari as minister of legal affairs, and Ahed Jaasous as minister of state for women’s affairs, ending nearly a decade of women’s absence from executive roles.
