TUNIS July 10 (Reuters) - Eight men have been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison in Tunisia on charges of belonging to a militant Islamist cell, a defence lawyer said on Saturday.

He did not name the group. All the men denied the charges.

Lawyers say around 2,000 people have been arrested since 2003 on terrorism-related charges. The Justice Ministry says the number does not exceed 400. (Reporting by Tarek Amara, Editing by Tom Pfeiffer/Maria Golovnina)

source: Reuters Africa