A Tunisian court has sentenced prominent opposition leader Abir Moussi to 12 years in prison, a ruling that comes amid an ongoing crackdown on political critics and opposition figures.

 

According to Reuters, the sentence was handed down on 12 December 2025 by the Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance, which found Moussi guilty of charges linked to alleged actions against state order, as reported by state media and legal sources.

 

Moussi, 50, is the president of the Free Destourian Party, also known as the Free Constitutional Party, and has been held in custody since 3 October 2023, after police arrested her outside the presidential palace as she was preparing to submit appeals against decrees issued by President Kais Saied’s government, Reuters said. The charges against her included accusations of attempting to disrupt public order and influence the state’s form of government.

 

Her lawyer, Nafaa Laribi, described Friday’s ruling as “unjust” and said it was politically driven rather than based on fair judicial considerations. Moussi has rejected the charges, saying she was exercising her legal right to criticise government policies and defend democratic norms.

 

The 12‑year sentence is part of a wider pattern of legal actions against political opponents in Tunisia. In recent months, appeals courts have handed down heavy prison terms to dozens of opposition leaders, lawyers and business figures on various charges, including conspiracy to overthrow the government, in cases that critics say lack transparency.

 

Moussi’s party, which has long opposed President Saied’s rule, has been one of the most vocal critics of changes to Tunisia’s political system since 2021. That year, Saied dissolved the elected parliament and assumed executive powers; in 2022, he also dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed many judges, moves the government defended as necessary to restore order but which opponents argue weakened the independence of the judiciary.

 

The latest conviction follows a series of rulings against Moussi in separate cases. Earlier sentences under Decree‑Law 54, adopted in 2022 to combat so‑called “false news,” saw her punished for public statements criticising electoral authorities, although some of those sentences were reduced on appeal, Africanews reported.

 

Rights groups and international observers have criticised the broader crackdown on political dissent in Tunisia, warning that sweeping sentences and restrictions on free speech undermine democratic norms and limit political pluralism. Civil society advocates have called for respect for fundamental freedoms and the release of political prisoners.

 

For now, Moussi remains in detention, and further legal challenges, including appeals of the conviction, may follow under Tunisian law. Her long imprisonment effectively sidelines her from active political life, and many observers say the decision is likely to intensify debate about Tunisia’s political direction, from its early post‑Arab Spring democratic transition to its current governance model under President Saied.