Tunisia investigates TV pundit over on-air comments

Tunisian authorities are investigating political commentator Sonia Dahmani following her televised remarks on the state of the country, according to lawyers and local media cited by Reuters.

In response to another pundit’s claim that sub-Saharan immigrants were trying to settle in Tunisia, Dahmani said:

“What extraordinary country are we talking about?”

Dahmani, who is also a lawyer, refused to appear in court Friday, prompting the court to issue a warrant that she be brought before an investigating judge.

A judicial report claims her comments were conncected to President Kais Saied's recent speech saying that Tunisia could not became a place to resettle sub-Saharan migrants who failed to get to Europe. 

Dahmani was already under investigation after criticizing the state of Tunisian prisons. Both cases are being pursued under Decree 54, which prohibits “spreading false news”. Critics claim the measure is designed to stifle political dissent. Since its enactment in 2022, over 60 individuals, including journalists and opposition figures, have been prosecuted under Decree 54.