Tunisian Authorities Arrest 21 People Connected to Protests in Kairouan

The anti-government demonstrations erupted following the death of a young man who had been injured and severely beaten by the Tunisian police in late November.

The past week saw a new wave of repression by the Tunisian authorities against protesters. At least 21 people were arrested during anti-government demonstrations in the Kairouan region, which lasted a couple of days.

These protests erupted in Kairouan after young Tunisian citizen Naim Briki died on Friday, December 12, due to severe injuries he had sustained at the hands of the police on November 22.

According to media reports, the police chased Briki after he allegedly evaded being checked by them, because he was riding a motorcycle without proper documentation.

The pursuit of the young man ended with the collision of his motorcycle with a police vehicle. His family also reported that he was brutally beaten by several police officers later.

Briki's death epitomizes the Tunisian authorities' policy of impunity, says FTDES

Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) issued a statement on Tuesday, December 16, strongly condemning "all forms of police violence and excessive use of force".

"The death of Naim Briki highlights the recurring tragedies linked to systematic police violence and epitomizes, once again, the policy of impunity," the statement reads.

The forum also demanded "full responsibility be assigned to anyone proven to have been involved" in murdering Briki.

The FTDES further called for a "transparent judicial investigation" into the crime, in a way that guarantees revealing the full truth, and holding whoever is responsible accountable "without discrimination or institutional protection".

Moreover, it warned the authorities to end the impunity in cases of torture and police violence, and to stop the repression, and legal prosecution of protesters.

It is worth mentioning that the Tunisian judiciary ordered the release of 20 people, who were arrested in connection to the protests, on Monday, December 14, but it issued arrest warrants for four others over involvement in the same events.

Meanwhile, the public prosecutor's office in Kairouan announced that same day, the opening of an inquiry to uncover the circumstances of Briki's death.

Read the original article on People's Dispatch.