A Tunisian court handed down verdicts on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, sentencing four individuals to death and two to life imprisonment in connection with the murder of Chokri Belaid, the leader of the Popular Front coalition. Belaid, aged 48, was fatally shot in his car outside his residence in Tunis in February 2013, marking the country’s first assassination in decades. The incident sparked widespread protests and contributed to the resignation of the then-prime minister.
Following the arrest of a former investigating judge under suspicion of concealing pertinent files, the case was reopened last month. Mohamed Jmour, a member of Belaid’s defense committee, cited the complexity of the case as the reason behind the lengthy deliberations and late-night delays preceding Wednesday’s verdict.
Prior to his death, Belaid had garnered attention for his outspoken critiques of Ennahda, the Islamist party that ascended to power following the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. His supporters attributed his assassination to what they perceived as the party’s lenient stance towards extremists.
In response to the killing of another left-wing politician, Mohammed Brahmi, Ennahda leaders designated Ansar al-Sharia as a terrorist organization. Law enforcement subsequently targeted numerous alleged members of the al-Qaeda-linked group implicated in Belaid’s murder, resulting in several fatalities.
Among those sentenced were individuals affiliated with Ansar al-Sharia, including Mohamed Aouadi, the leader of its military wing, and Mohamed Khiari, in charge of field surveillance and intelligence gathering.
The assassinations and ensuing unrest precipitated a political crisis in Tunisia as the nation grappled with the transition from autocracy to democracy. A total of 24 defendants were implicated in the protracted case, with one passing away in custody. Of the 23 individuals sentenced on Wednesday, five were acquitted, while others received varying prison terms ranging from two to 120 years.
Aymen Chtiba, a deputy prosecutor within the terrorism court’s judicial unit, attributed some dismissals to the similarity of sentences already handed down in related cases. Abdelmajid Belaid, the brother of the deceased, regarded the verdict as a positive development and emphasized the ongoing anticipation for the trial of individuals suspected of orchestrating the assassination.
(AP)
