Troubles in Tunis after the death of a young man arrested by the police
Protesters block a street in the district of Sidi Hassine, in the suburbs of Tunis, on Saturday, June 12 in the evening.
AFP - FETHI BELAID
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
Clashes pitted young Tunisians against the police on Saturday, June 12, in the popular district of Sidi Hassine.
Earlier in the day, a demonstration against police violence took place in front of the Interior Ministry, following the suspicious death of a young person.
Publicity
Read more
"
Who protects us from the police?"
","
Save a life - judge a policeman
!
".
These are some of the slogans of left-wing protesters and residents of working-class neighborhoods, who met in front of the Interior Ministry in Tunis on Saturday.
They were protesting against police violence after the suspicious death of a young man, Ahmed ben Ammar, from the popular district of Sidi Hassine, who died after an arrest by the police on Tuesday, June 8.
As the day progressed, the demonstration escalated, with protesters throwing chairs at the police on Avenue Bourguiba.
At least 19 of them were arrested.
Later in the home district of Ahmed ben Ammar, in Sidi Hassine, clashes pitted young people against the police, who responded with tear gas canisters.
Police not reformed
Ahmed ben Ammar's family accuses the police of having beaten him to death, and an investigation has been opened.
But in the vast majority of cases, this type of business has no follow-up in Tunisia.
The police
have not been reformed very much since the fall of Ben Ali a little over ten years ago, and police violence goes unpunished for the most part.
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi (Interim Minister of the Interior) also denied Thursday that his death was linked to mistreatment during his arrest.
Among the demonstrators, there were three mothers of young people who died in recent years after being also arrested by the police.
A scandalous video
Since the young boy's death, clashes between young people and the police have been repeated.
On Wednesday June 9, after the funeral of Ahmed ben Ammar, a minor was arrested by the police, who stripped him and kicked him to the ground, before taking him to plainclothes police.
The footage was the subject of a viral video which scandalized public opinion.
An investigation was also opened and the police were arrested according to Reuters.
►
Read also
: Violence in Tunisia: civil society organizations call the authorities to account
with agencies
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Tunisia
Kaïs Saïed
On the same subject
Tunisia: sacked, anti-corruption chief receives support from President Saïed
Covid-19 in Tunisia: fear of a fourth wave of infections
Tunisia: judges now banned from holding executive positions