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Tunisian Court Jails Prominent Opposition Lawyer

 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)
 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)
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Tunisian Court Jails Prominent Opposition Lawyer

 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)
 Tunisian lawyer Sonia Dahmani (social media)

A Tunisian court on Saturday sentenced Sonia Dahmani, a prominent Tunisian lawyer known for her criticism of President Kais Saied, to one year in prison.
The court ruling reinforces opposition concerns that critical voices will continue to be targeted ahead of a presidential election on Oct. 6.
“The one-year prison sentence is unjust and confirms the targeting of free speech,” Dahmani's lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi told Reuters.
Dahmani was arrested in May after appearing on a television program in which she said Tunisia is a country where life is not pleasant.
Lotfi Mraihi, leader of the opposition Republican Union Party, who has announced his intention to run in the presidential election, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of money laundering.
Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are in prison, have accused Saied's government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to target his election rivals.
They say fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media is allowed to operate without pressure from the government.
On Friday, the Journalists Syndicate branch of the official news agency complained that a report about Mondher Znaidi announcing his candidature for Tunisia’s presidential election, was removed from the news bulletin. The Syndicate also complained about a decision not to cover a press conference held by the Free Constitutional Party.
Abir Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party and a prominent candidate, has been in prison since October 2023 on charges of harming public security.
Some potential candidates, including Safi Saeed, Mondher Znaidi, Nizar Chaari and Abd Ellatif Mekki, are facing prosecution for alleged crimes such as fraud and money laundering.
Saied, a retired law professor who was elected president in 2019, has not officially announced his candidacy to stand for a second term. Last year he said he will not hand power to what he called non-patriots.
In 2021, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in a move that the opposition described as a coup. Saied said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.

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Arab World

China, Jordan Call for Maintaining US-Iran Ceasefire

China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
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China, Jordan Call for Maintaining US-Iran Ceasefire

China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)

China and Jordan on Monday said the ceasefire between the US and Iran should be maintained, and that the normal passage through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz should be restored, ⁠the two countries said in a jointed statement, according to China's Xinhua ⁠news agency.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Beijing on Monday.

China and Jordan said "a comprehensive solution capable of eliminating the root causes" of regional tensions should be reached through dialogue and negotiations.

The two ⁠also expressed "deep ⁠concern over Israel's dangerous escalatory actions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem."

China's President Xi Jinping, left, and King Abdullah II of Jordan review the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)

Xi told King Abdullah that China values Jordan's "unique and important role in the region,” which was thrown into crisis after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.

"China has always advocated for a comprehensive ceasefire (and) resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means," Xi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

"(China) believes the sovereignty and security of regional countries including Jordan should be respected," Xi said.

The Chinese president also urged on Monday a "comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue,” the foreign ministry statement said.

China supports "promoting the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks anchored on the correct direction of the 'two-state solution'," Xi said.

The two sides also signed several agreements on diplomacy, trade and supply chains, China's foreign ministry said.

Arab World

Iraq Pushes Back Deadline for Factions to Disarm

This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)
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Iraq Pushes Back Deadline for Factions to Disarm

This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)

A senior Iraqi official pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to hand over their weapons, without offering an explanation for the move or providing a new date.

Iraq has come under pressure from the United States to rein in armed factions, particularly those close to Iran.

The US and Iran have been at war since February 28, drawing in other countries in the region as well as non-state groups backed by the Islamic republic.

For several months, Iraq's government has stood by its deadline, but on Sunday, the security adviser to the prime minister, Qasim al-Araji, told state media the process would only begin at the end of next month.

"September 30 is the date for the international coalition to depart, not the deadline to hand over weapons," Araji told the Al Iraqiya broadcaster, referring to the coalition of US-led forces.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi had made a similar announcement to local media on Friday, despite announcing in June that factions had until the end of September to disarm.

September 30, he said, was "the date for the international coalition to end its presence, not the deadline for armed factions... Perhaps people are confusing the two."

Since taking office in May, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to ensure the armed factions that emerged in the years that followed the US-led invasion hand over their weapons to the state.

While some factions have in recent weeks said they would join state institutions, others, in particular those closer to Iran, are refusing.

"The situation is extremely complicated," a government official told AFP, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

"The government is insisting on closing the weapons file; but faction leaders are determined to hold onto their weapons because they believe disarming would serve Israel and the United States."

The most powerful armed factions in Iraq include Kataib Hezbollah, a part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" against the US and Israel.

Another Iraqi source told AFP that Iran views its proxies in the region, "especially in Iraq, as a source of strength it refuses to give up".

Arab World

Syria Sentences Assad-Era Top Muslim Cleric to Life Imprisonment

Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)
Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)
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Syria Sentences Assad-Era Top Muslim Cleric to Life Imprisonment

Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)
Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)

A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmed Hassoun, the country's former grand mufti under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, convicting him of crimes including inciting sectarian strife and exploiting his position. 

Hassoun, the 10th Assad-era figure to be sentenced under the new authorities, was Syria's top Muslim cleric for 16 years. 

He was known for his close ties to the former president and frequent appearances alongside him on religious occasions. 

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Hassoun, 77, was guilty of a raft of charges including "inciting civil war and sectarian strife", for which he was jailed for life. 

The cleric was also convicted of "incitement to intentional homicide", "principal complicity in intentional homicide", and "inciting sectarian and racial strife", for which he was handed additional terms ranging from three to 20 years. 

The court also decided to confiscate Hassoun's assets and hand them to the public treasury. 

His sentencing is the first against a religious figure since Syrian authorities began trying Assad-era officials in April. 

On August 11, Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and five other security officials to death in absentia for atrocities committed during Syria's civil war, the first such ruling under the new authorities. 

The former president fled Syria as his government fell in December 2024 and is believed to be in Russia. 

Authorities have also handed death sentences to Atif Najib and Wassim al-Assad, cousins of the former ruler who were tried in person. 

Hassoun, a native of Aleppo whose late father was also an important religious figure, was arrested at Damascus airport in March last year as he tried to flee the country. 

Though he held the post of grand mufti for more than a decade, Hassoun lost the title in 2021 when Syria abolished the position. 

Syria began legal proceedings in April against Bashar al-Assad and other officials accused of atrocities during the civil war, which erupted in 2011 with brutal repression of pro-democracy protesters. 

More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced during the conflict, while tens of thousands disappeared.