Tunisia says 47 Tunisians indicted in Syria, some sentenced to death

The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied yesterday reports that 100 Tunisian prisoners had been executed by Syrian authorities.

The ministry’s clarification comes as local media sources circulated reports that the 100 Tunisians had been given the death penalty as punishment for “terrorism” after being imprisoned for two years.

However according to the press service of the Foreign Affairs Department, only 47 Tunisian prisoners attended Syrian courts and “only a few have been sentenced to death,” Faisal Dhaou, the press attaché for the ministry, said.

“The department does not have accurate data on the number of Tunisians fighting in Syria or the Tunisian prisoners who have not yet been tried,” he explained.

It is unclear what the Tunisians were doing in Syria upon their arrest but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that it is in constant contact with its consulate in Damascus to inquire about the fate of Tunisians in Syria.