Thousands protest killing of Tunisian opposition leader
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 6 February 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Thousands protest killing of Tunisian opposition leader, 6 February 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/512235c023.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 06, 2013
Chokri Belaid was the head of the left-leaning Unified Democratic Nationalist Party.
Thousands of people across Tunisia are protesting the assassination of a secular opposition leader.
Chokri Belaid, the head of the Unified Democratic Nationalist Party, was shot on February 6 as he left his house in the capital, Tunis, and died later in a hospital.
Belaid had been critical of the moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, that dominates the government.
Several thousand protesters gathered on February 6 outside the Interior Ministry in Tunis, with thousands more demonstrating in Sidi Bouzid, the cradle of the Arab Spring uprisings.
Police in both cities used tear gas in an effort to disperse the angry protesters.
Before heading back to Tunisia, President Moncef Marzouki told the European Parliament in Strasbourg the killing was a "threat" by enemies of the country's democratic transition after the toppling of longtime dictator Zine el-Abidine ben Ali in 2011.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
