A Tunisian court has sentenced prominent opposition leader Abir Moussi to 12 years in prison, amidst a widening crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied. Moussi, the leader of the Free Constitutional Party, has been in custody since her arrest in 2023 outside the presidential palace on suspicion of assault intended to cause chaos. She has maintained that she was simply exercising her right to criticize and has vowed to continue resisting what she describes as “abuse, torture, and political and moral violence”.

This is the third trial against Moussi, who was previously sentenced to two years in prison in August last year under Decree 54, a law enacted by Saied in 2022 to combat “false news”. The sentence was later reduced on appeal, and an appeals process is currently underway for a second jail term under the same law. Moussi’s lawyer has described the latest ruling as “unjust” and a “politically motivated order”.

Moussi is one of dozens of prominent politicians currently behind bars amid Saied’s escalating crackdown on journalists, activists, civil society groups, and opposition leaders. Last month, an appeals court handed down jail terms of up to 45 years to dozens of opposition leaders, business figures, and lawyers on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the president.

The crackdown has raised concerns about the independence of the judiciary in Tunisia, with rights groups and opponents accusing Saied of using the courts to silence his critics. Saied has denied becoming a dictator or using the judiciary against opponents, saying he is working to “cleanse” Tunisia of “traitors”. The situation has its roots in 2021, when Saied shut down the elected parliament and began ruling by decree, a move that has been widely criticized by rights groups and opponents.

The latest developments have significant implications for the state of democracy and human rights in Tunisia. As the appeals process for Moussi’s sentence gets underway, international attention is likely to remain focused on the country’s handling of opposition figures and the rule of law. The ongoing crackdown has already sparked widespread concern, with many calling for greater protection of democratic freedoms and an end to the use of the judiciary as a tool for political repression.