Tunisian politician Chokri Belaid shot dead in Tunis
Tunisian opposition politician Chokri Belaid has been shot dead outside his home in the capital, Tunis, his brother and officials say.He was was shot in the neck and head on his way to work.Chokri Belaid was the co-ordinator of the left wing Democratic Patriots party.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Tunisian-politi...
"My brother was assassinated. I am desperate and depressed," Mr Belaid's brother Abdelmajid Belaid told the AFP news agency. Belaid was the secretary general of the Democratic Patriotic party (Watad), which joined the Front Popular.
The motive for his killing and the identity of his attackers is unknown.According to local press reports he accused "mercenaries" hired by the Ennahda party of carrying out an attack on a Democratic Patriots meeting on Saturday.
The country is in the grip of a political crisis over a cabinet reshuffle but this assassination is a new development in Tunisia.
An article in Le Temps reports several attacks by islamists on political party meetings over the weekend including the Party of Democratic Unified Patriots (PPDU) at Le Kef on Saturday, the meeting that Chokri Belaid addressed was stormed by bearded men at the end of the meeting. Security forces only intervened after the attack was over according to the article.
It reports that the day before a meeting of the Republican Party, chaired by Meya Jeribi was attacked in Kairouan. on Saturday, Ahmed Najib Chebbi was surrounded in the local Radio Oasis Gabes. The same day, in the evening, a meeting of Nida Tounès at Berges du Lac was attacked. On Sunday a local Nida Tounès meeting in Kebili was attacked. The Congress of the National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT) Sousse was also attacked.
In a statement Chokri Belaid deplored the violence which he said was deliberately instigated by elements within Ennhada who were using violence deliberately against other political parties. He called for a national pact to criminalise political violence.He is quoted by Le Temps as saying " We are facing a wing of Ennahdha refusing elections and wants to retain power by resorting to violence which led to the collapse of state structures to replace them with the militias." He was shot dead this morning.
The motive for his killing and the identity of his attackers is unknown.According to local press reports he accused "mercenaries" hired by the Ennahda party of carrying out an attack on a Democratic Patriots meeting on Saturday.
The country is in the grip of a political crisis over a cabinet reshuffle but this assassination is a new development in Tunisia.
An article in Le Temps reports several attacks by islamists on political party meetings over the weekend including the Party of Democratic Unified Patriots (PPDU) at Le Kef on Saturday, the meeting that Chokri Belaid addressed was stormed by bearded men at the end of the meeting. Security forces only intervened after the attack was over according to the article.
It reports that the day before a meeting of the Republican Party, chaired by Meya Jeribi was attacked in Kairouan. on Saturday, Ahmed Najib Chebbi was surrounded in the local Radio Oasis Gabes. The same day, in the evening, a meeting of Nida Tounès at Berges du Lac was attacked. On Sunday a local Nida Tounès meeting in Kebili was attacked. The Congress of the National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT) Sousse was also attacked.
In a statement Chokri Belaid deplored the violence which he said was deliberately instigated by elements within Ennhada who were using violence deliberately against other political parties. He called for a national pact to criminalise political violence.He is quoted by Le Temps as saying " We are facing a wing of Ennahdha refusing elections and wants to retain power by resorting to violence which led to the collapse of state structures to replace them with the militias." He was shot dead this morning.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Tunisian-politi...