Judicial observation mission – trial of Sonia Dahmani
Trial observation of: Sonia Dahmani – appeal hearing in the “Racism II” case
Date of hearing: 28 November 2025
Report date: 15 Decembre, 2025
Description:
This report details an international observation mission to Tunisia concerning the legal proceedings against lawyer and columnist Sonia Dahmani. Franck Heurtrey participated in the mission as a representative of the International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger (OIAD), alongside the Lyon Bar Association and the National Bar Council (CNB).
The mission coincided with Sonia Dahmani’s conditional release on 27 November 2025, enabling the delegation to meet her in Tunis and hear her testimony after several months in detention. The report reviews the political and judicial context of her imprisonment, the conditions of her detention, the international mobilisation and the proceedings of the hearing initially scheduled for 28 November 2025, which was ultimately postponed.
Finally, it presents the upcoming hearing dates in the case, notably the criminal hearing relating to her statements on prison conditions, set for 26 December 2025, and the appeal hearing in the so-called ‘Racism II’ case, scheduled for 26 January 2026.
