Murder charges dismissed following death of Nidaa Tounes member

A Tunisian court has dismissed charges over the death of an official of the now ruling Nidaa Tounes party in 2012, a court spokesman said today.

Lotfi Naguedh was killed during clashes between rival demonstrators in the southern town of Tatouine. His death sparked an outcry with current President Beji Caid Essebsi calling it a “political assassination”.

Four men were found guilty of participating in the violent act but were released after serving time while awaiting trial. Six other defendants were also freed after being sentenced to prison for terms shorter than the time they had already spent in custody.

However the court in Sousse dismissed charges of murder against two defendants and charges of complicity to murder against two others, spokesman Raouf Yousfi told AFP.

“For us, it’s a catastrophe,” the Naguedh family’s lawyer, Mourad Dalech, told Shems FM. Prosecutors said they would appeal the court’s decision.

The defendants praised the court for its decision stating it was a “victory for justice”. The forces of apostasy which treated us like criminals wanted to bury… the concepts of freedom and dignity.”

Nidaa Tounes states that Naguedh was lynched at the demonstration but the interior ministry said he died of a heart attack during clashes between the rival demonstrators.