- A Tunisian court has handed down the verdict following the murder of left-wing politician Chokri Belaid.
- Four people were sentenced to death and two to life imprisonment.
- Popular Front coalition leader Belide was assassinated in February 2013, sparking widespread protests and political turmoil.
A Tunisian court has sentenced four people to death and two to life imprisonment for crimes stemming from the murder of a left-wing politician, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Chokri Belaid, 48, a leader of the Popular Front coalition, was shot in his car outside his home in Tunis in February 2013. His assassination, the first in the country in decades, sparked mass protests and led to the resignation of the Popular Front coalition. Prime Minister at the time.
The case was reopened last month after a former trial judge was arrested on suspicion of concealing certain files. Wednesday’s verdict came after hours of late-night delays and lengthy deliberations due to the “very vexing complexity of the case,” said Mohamed Jumol, a member of Bereid’s national defense committee. Told.
Tunisian journalist goes on trial for allegedly insulting public servant online
During his lifetime, Belaid gained support for his forceful criticism of Annada, the Islamist party that emerged after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali became the first dictator toppled in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Ta. His supporters accused his party of taking an overly conciliatory approach to extremists after his assassination.
Politician Chokri Belaid gives a radio interview in Tunis on November 20, 2012. A Tunisian court has sentenced four people to death and two to life imprisonment for Belaid’s murder, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. (Khalil/AFP via Getty Images)
Ennahda leaders classified Ansar al-Sharia as a terrorist group after the killing of another left-wing politician, Mohammed Brahmi, later that year. Law enforcement agents killed several members of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group suspected of being involved in Belaid’s death.
Several members were convicted, including Mohamed Aouadi, head of Ansar al-Sharia’s military wing. Mohamed Kiari, head of the field surveillance and intelligence department, said:
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The assassination and subsequent unrest sparked a political crisis for Tunisia, which is struggling to transition from dictatorship to democracy.
Twenty defendants were ultimately indicted in the massive case, which took years to investigate and reach trial. One person died in prison. Of the 23 defendants sentenced Wednesday, five were acquitted, while others received sentences ranging from two to 120 years.
Aymen Kutiba, deputy prosecutor at the judicial branch of the terrorism court, said the dismissal was related to similarities with sentences already handed down against some defendants in other cases.
Belaid’s brother Abdelmadjid Belaid called the verdict a “positive step” and said supporters were still awaiting trial for the suspects in the assassination plot.
