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- Ceremony in New York set to take place in her absence
LONDON: Tunisian journalist Sonia Dahmani has been named as a recipient of the 2025 International Press Freedom Award, the Committee to Protect Journalists has announced.
She was to receive the accolade later this year at a ceremony in New York, but the event is expected to take place in her absence.
A lawyer, writer, and prominent media commentator, Dahmani has received international attention for her advocacy of human rights and civil liberties in Tunisia.
She is currently serving a near-five-year sentence after her arrest in May 2024 on multiple charges related to public comments, including her remarks addressing racism in Tunisia.
“She has become a symbol of the shrinking space for dissent in Tunisia, once a beacon of media freedom,” the CPJ said in a statement.
Dahmani is widely recognized for her candid and insightful commentary on radio and television, where she has addressed Tunisia’s political climate, judicial independence, civil liberties, prison conditions, and migration policy.
Shortly before her arrest Dahmani raised concerns about Tunisia’s social conditions, questioning during a televised debate why migrants would choose to remain in a country “where half of young people want to leave.”
The CPJ noted that Dahmani’s media presence has made her an influential voice for public accountability as well as a target amid tightening governmental oversight of the press.
Rights organizations and journalist groups have called for her release, expressing concern about her treatment and conditions in detention, including limited access to medical care and restricted communication.
Dahmani is scheduled to stand trial for additional charges at the end of September. Under Tunisia’s Decree Law 54 she could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Now in its 35th year, CPJ’s annual IPFA and benefit dinner “honors courageous journalists from around the world.”
This year’s event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 20, in New York.
Dahmani will be honored alongside Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu, Ecuadorian journalists Elvira del Pilar Nole and Juan Carlos Tito, and Kyrgyzstan’s investigative reporter Bolot Temirov.