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Government Says Confession Ties Belaid Suspect to Arms Cache

Amira Masrour | 31 May 2013 | 3 Comments

Kamel Gadhgadhi, a primary suspect in the assassination of opposition politician Chokry Belaid on February 7 this year, has been directly linked to a large cache of weapons found on February 20 in Tunis, according to information provided by the Ministry of the Interior in a press conference Friday at Laouina Barracks in Tunis. Saber Mechergui, [...]

Elderly Man Dies After Police Use Tear Gas in Bizerte

Asma Smadhi | 28 May 2013 | 2 Comments

An elderly man died following confrontations between police and street vendors last night in Tunisia’s northern city of Bizerte. The man reportedly suffocated to death due to exposure to tear gas. “We have been informed that an old man died this morning in a taxi in Bizerte,” said a Ministry of Interior spokesperson, according to [...]

Protesters with Controversial Group Detained; Legality of Arrests Disputed

Amira Masrour | 27 May 2013 | 0 Comments

Nine supporters of the Leagues for the Protection of the Revolution (LPR) were detained this weekend during demonstrations in Tunis. The government and the Leagues dispute the legality of the arrests. Demonstrators with the Leagues were detained for several hours on Friday after protesting in the Tunis suburb of Kram, LPR spokesman Nasreddine Wazfa told [...]

Tunisians’ Daily Lives Transformed by Lack of Security

Asma Smadhi | 23 May 2013 | 13 Comments

Security concerns have fundamentally affected the day-to-day lives of Tunisians, from how they plan their evenings to how they will spend their summer vacations. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Interior are meeting today to discuss security measures to ensure the success of the tourist season this summer, but there is a widespread [...]

Prime Minister Pledges to Fight Violent Extremists

Amira Masrour | 23 May 2013 | 1 Comment

Prime Minister Ali Laarayedh said today that Ansar Sharia is illegal organization that should be combated through security and judicial intervention, and that the recent instances of violence will not postpone the completion of the new constitution and determination of a date for the next election. “Ansar al-Sharia is an illegal organization that employs violence and some [...]

Mass Arrests Signal Policy Change Towards Religious Extremists

Asma Smadhi | 21 May 2013 | 5 Comments

The arrest of 274 people over the last three days for alleged involvement in clashes between supporters of the conservative religious group Ansar al-Sharia and state security forces, along with the government’s outlawing of the organization, demonstrate a new stricter government policy toward religious extremism in Tunisa. The arrests, which occurred throughout the country, were tied to Sunday’s [...]

Government Deems Ansar al-Sharia Illegal Organization

Asma Smadhi | 21 May 2013 | 8 Comments

The Interior Ministry has announced that it considers Ansar al-Sharia an illegal organization and will prohibit any of the Salafist group’s activities. The announcement comes after clashes between the group’s supporters and the police on Sunday that resulted in one death. “The Ansar al-Sharia group is an illegal organization that does not abide by the [...]

Clashes Over Ansar al-Sharia Meeting Leave One Dead

Farah Samti | 20 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Clashes between supporters of a Salafist group and the police Sunday in the Ettadhamen suburb in Tunis resulted in the death of 27 year-old Moez Dahmani, according to state news agency TAP. The Tunisian Ministry of the Interior stated that 11 policemen and three protesters were injured during yesterday’s confrontations. The clashes started as security [...]

Alleged Religious Extremists Arrested in Plots Against National Security

Amira Masrour | 20 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Security officers arrested Sunday a number of suspected militants from different areas in Tunisia for plotting to carry out criminal operations against Tunisia security forces, reported Tunisian state television station Al Wataniya. Anti-terrorism units arrested an alleged explosives expert in Kairouan. According to Al Wataniya, the man, a computer engineer, admitted to being affiliated with Ansar al-Sharia. He allegedly [...]

Four More Arrests in Operations Against Chambi Militants

Amira Masrour | 16 May 2013 | 2 Comments

Four more people with alleged connections to a group of militants taking refuge on Chambi Mountain were arrested yesterday by the Tunisian National Guard. The suspects were wearing paramilitary clothes similar to those worn by armed groups in the Libyan revolution, according to the Tunisian newspaper Assabah. They reportedly tried to remove these uniforms when [...]

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