SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 6 February 2025, Thursday |

UN human rights office worried about serious violations by Tunisian police

Repeated allegations of serious violations by the Tunisian police have raised concerns of the United Nations human rights office in Tunisia said on Monday.

The protests erupted after a video showing police stripping and beating a young man triggered widespread anger, and police abuse that rocked the capital for six nights. .

The video prompted criticism from political parties, local human rights organizations and President Kais Saied. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said the officers involved were arrested and the incident was unacceptable.

“These repeated violations since the beginning of the year unveils continuing dysfunctions within the internal security services,” the UN human rights office in Tunisia said in a statement.

During protests in January, the police arrested more than 2,000 people, most of them minors, were hundreds of them were subjected to ill treatment and torture, human rights organization said.

The interior ministry said that violations are individual and do not represent a systematic policy of the ministry, and years ago it launched a program to reform the security apparatus.

Last week, a man has died after few hours from being arrested by police on suspicion of dealing drugs. The family accused the police of beating him to death. Tunisia’s interior ministry has denied the allegation.

A decade on from a revolution against poverty, injustice and police state, Tunisia has made progress towards democracy but its economic problems have worsened which sparked repeated protests.

Human rights activists said police abuses have threatened to undermine the democratic gains made since the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s repressive regime a decade ago.

    Source:
  • Reuters