Tunisian authorities have arrested lawyer and political commentator Sonia Dahmani after she made comments on a local television station about the state of the country. Dahmani's lawyers reported that "Tunisian security forces stormed the Bar Association in the capital Tunis and arrested her following her comments." Tunisian media stated that "Sonia Dahmani is being interrogated under Decree 54, which prohibits the dissemination of false news online or in the media and inciting hate speech."
During a program on Cartage Plus television last Tuesday, Dahmani responded to another analyst's claim that "migrants from sub-Saharan African countries are seeking to settle in Tunisia." She sarcastically asked, "What is the exceptional state we are talking about?" This statement sparked outrage among some Tunisian social media users.
