Civilians and Journalists Assaulted by Police in Habib Bourguiba Avenue

A man injured in clashes with police near Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis

A protest in the center of Tunis degenerated into violence today when police attacked demonstrators, journalists and bystanders. Teargas and batons were used as protesters tried to march to Tunis’ main thoroughfare, Habib Bourguiba Avenue. At least 12 people were taken to hospital with injuries.

The protest was organized by a number of civil society organizations to commemorate the Martyrs’ Day. Many separate, peaceful marches started from different points. One protest started from the headquarters of UGTT in Mohamed Ali Square, downtown Tunis. Another began in Mohamed V Avenue with the aim to meet at Habib Bourguiba Avenue.

As marchers descended on the avenue from several different directions, police replied with teargas and baton charges. For several hours running battles between protesters and police – some wearing balaclavas and others in plain clothes – occurred in the streets leading to the avenue. Violent skirmishes occurred on rue de Caire, rue de Marseille, rue de Paris, as well as around the main train station on Place Barcelone.

In response, protesters shouted chants such as “Habib Bourguiba is the property of the people. No government can prevent us from coming here,” and “Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Terror”.

Lotfi Azouz, director of Amnesty International Tunisia, lamented the violence. “Police went back to the same practices and same violence of the former regime. Our security forces did not learn how to deal with demonstrations,” he said.

Abdsattar Ben Moussa, president of the Tunisian League of Human Rights said that he was assaulted along with other members of the organization before they reached Habib Bourguiba Avenue. “We informed the Ministry of the Interior that we would organize a peaceful protest in front of the Municipal Theater [on Habib Bourguiba Avenue],” he said.

According to Ben Moussa, Mohammed Attaia from the organization’s executive board was hit by a tear gas canister and required urgent medical attention.

Tunisia Live also filmed security forces assaulting political activist and head of independent list Doustourna Jaouhar Ben Mbarek. It has been reported that Mbarek’s hand was fractured.

Clash between Jawhar Ben Mbarek and police

In addition a number of journalists were assaulted or threatened. Journalists Zohra Abid from Kapitalis and Fatma Riahi from Nessma Television were also reportedly beaten by security forces with Riahi suffering a double fracture in her hand and her shoulder.

Julie Schneider from Le Point wrote on the French Magazine’s website that she received an injury to her hand and her camera was destroyed whilst covering the demonstration.

Sofiene Chourabi, also from Nessma Television told Tunisia Live that he too was attacked. “A group of police assaulted me and tried to take my camera”. He confirmed that groups of people wearing plain-clothes also attacked protesters.

Bassem Aounallah, a cameraman for Tunisia Live was harassed while filming a police officer beating protestors. The policeman tried to arrest him. He said that the police officer demanded to know “What are you filming? Why are you filming us?”

“After that, my colleague and other journalists intervened to release me from the policemen. Otherwise, they would have arrested me. But the policeman told me I will remember your face, and threatened me,” stated Aounallah.

Habib Bourguiba Avenue holds symbolic importance in Tunisia as a site of protest and public expression. It was the focus of days of protests in front of the Ministry of the Interior, which is located on the avenue, that led to the ousting of Zine Abedine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s former President in January 2011. The popular uprising sparked an awakening across the Arab World.

However, on March 28, 2012 the Minister of the Interior decided to ban protests on Habib Bourguiba Avenue. The decision sparked a wave of discontent among many Tunisians who regarded it as an attempt to strip them of their freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

The legitimacy of the ban has been contested by many people who see it as an attempt by the Ministry of the Interior to control dissent.

“The ban contradicts international treaties as it prevents freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,” said Ben Moussa. He claimed that the decision to apply an open-ended ban on protests on the avenue was not only unjustified and arbitrary, it was also “unlawful because it was not published on the official journal of the Tunisian Republic.”

Many political parties and civil society organizations have condemned the use of violence against protestors. Lotfi Azouz said that the government is responsible for protecting freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. “The ministry of Interior is responsible for the attacks targeting civilians and journalists and is required to open an investigation into the human rights violations that happened today,” he added.