Lawyer and journalists arrested in Tunisia raid

Tunisian police raided the offices of a legal association and detained an outspoken figure on Saturday amid continuing protests against the government.

Sonia Dahmani was arrested from Lawyers’ House, part of the country’s legal union, in Tunis, an activist said, after prosecutors issued a warrant over comments she made.

Ms Dahmani had said: “What kind of extraordinary country [Tunisia] are we talking about? The one that half of its youth want to leave?”

The Tunisian Lawyers’ Bar said it would increase protests if more of its affiliates continue to face persecution because of their opinions or charges relating to their job.

A video on Facebook showed altercations between a number of lawyers and activists, who were present to support Ms Dahmani, and the police officers who conducted the raid. A journalist from the channel France 24 was arrested and later released, the activist said.

Two Tunisian journalists, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies, were also arrested, according to local media outlets.

The bar announced a general regional strike in all Tunis courts beginning today after the raid.

“We were taken by surprise around 8.45pm by the sudden raid of a number of masked individuals who broke our offices’ doors and verbally as well as physically assaulted lawyers,” said Laarousi Zguir, head of the Tunis division of the bar.

“Lawyer Sonia Dahmani has been kidnapped and taken into an unknown location.”

Tunisian President Kais Saied issued a decree in September 2022 against spreading false information and rumours online, with prison sentences of up to 10 years.