In 2013, the Tunisian opposition politician Belaid was murdered. Four people in Tunis have now been sentenced to death. Several others have to serve long prison sentences. The court remains silent about her identity.
A court in Tunisia has sentenced four defendants to death for the murder of Chokri Belaid. This was announced by a spokesman for the anti-terror investigative court in the capital Tunis.
Two more of the 23 convicts were sentenced to life in prison, and the court also imposed prison sentences of between two and 120 years. Five people, however, were acquitted but will have to face further proceedings. The court spokesman did not disclose the identity of the convicted people.
Relatives at the grave of Belaid, who was murdered in 2013.
Shot in a car in 2013
Belaid was a lawyer and opposition politician who was able to rally large sections of the population around him through his fierce opposition to the Islamic conservative party Ennahdha. On February 6, 2013, he was shot in the car in front of his home. The suspected main perpetrator was shot dead by Tunisian security forces in February 2014.
Belaid’s brother Abdelmajid called the verdict a “good step.” He said supporters were still waiting for a trial against those who planned the killing.
Anger at Ennahdha
Belaid’s murder and another murder of opposition MP Mohamed Brahmi plunged Tunisia into a deep government crisis. Critics blamed Ennahdha, which was in government at the time, for the crimes because it had not consistently taken action against extremists.
The death penalty is still imposed in Tunisia, but has not been carried out for several 30 years.
Stefan Ehlert, ARD Rabat, tagesschau, March 27, 2024 11:50 a.m