A prominent critic of Tunisian leader President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been jailed for six months after a trial criticised by rights groups.

According to a BBC News report, Taoufik Ben Brik was convicted of assaulting a woman in public. But he claimed he had been framed and Amnesty International has described him as a 'prisoner of conscience' and has condemned the sentence. Ali, in power for 22 years, tolerates little dissent, although government officials deny they invented the charges. The report notes that the 49-year-old journalist was said to be ill and in need of medical treatment after his arrest in October.
Full BBC news report