Authorities Continue Investigation of Opposition Leader’s Assassination

Belaid’s coffin, transported on a military vehicle, makes its way through supporters on February 8 in downtown Tunis

Two weeks after the assassination of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, and amid the Popular Front coalition’s demands for an independent investigation, no new information in the investigation has been revealed, according to Fawzi Ben Mrad, spokesperson of the National Defense Committee for Chokri Belaid.

“Last week, Lazhar Akremi (spokesperson for Nidaa Tounes) was called as a witness in the open investigation of the assassination of Chokri Belaid, but there is nothing new so far,” Ben Mrad said. “Hopefully, we learn more in the coming days.”

Following Belaid’s murder, Akremi told Shems FM that the Ministry of Interior has been infiltrated by extremist Ennahdha partisans, and he blamed the body for the violent attacks on his party.

“Extremist members were named in the Ministry of Interior to execute Ennahdha’s plans,” he said. “For instance, the general director of special services, Mehrez Zouari, was the man behind the bloody attacks on Nidaa Tounes in Djerba last December.”

“These members I believe to be involved in the escalating political violence,” he continued. “This time it was the turn of Chokri Belaid.”

Both Akremi and Zouari were called to court as witnesses last Thursday.

While Ben Mrad told Tunisia Live that Akremi was called as a  witness in the open investigation of the assassination of Belaid, Akremi said that he was summoned as a witness regarding the involvement of the Ministry of Interior in various incidents of violence.

“I wasn’t called for the Chokri Belaid case,” he said. “The judge wanted to hear what I had to say about the involvement of extremist Ennahdha partisans in the attack on the meeting of Nidaa Tounes in Djerba.”