Tunisian court sentences opposition figure Moussi to 12 years in prison

President of Tunisia's Free Destourian Party Abir Moussi speaks to the media during a protest demanding the dissolution of parliament and asking for early legislative elections, in Tunis, Tunisia November 20, 2021. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

TUNIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A Tunisian court on Friday sentenced prominent opposition figure Abir Moussi to 12 years in prison, her lawyer told Reuters, in what rights groups say is a new step towards entrenching President Kais Saied's one-man rule and using the judiciary to crush his critics.

"The ruling is unjust and is not a judicial decision but a politically motivated order," Moussi's lawyer Nafaa Laribi told Reuters.