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Tunisia: Unions call for greater protection for security forces

November 2, 2017 at 1:31 pm

Tunisian forces, 29 June 2017 [Armed Forces of Muslim World/Facebook]

Unions in Tunisia have threatened to lift the protection of all government deputies and party presidents if more isn’t done to protect them, following a knife attack on two policemen in Bardo.

In the statement, the unions criticised the Assembly of People’s Representatives for “giving priority to listening to civil society at the expense of the lives of security agents”, and called into question “the promises made by the legislature” following the protests organised in front of the Assembly in July this year.

In a statement yesterday following the knife attack on two police officers yesterday, Speaker of the Assembly of People’s Representatives Mohamed Ennaceur said that a draft law on the repression of attacks against the armed forces is currently at study at the level of parliamentary committees.

“There have been a number of meetings with the civil society that have proposals on this bill, we have to protect our security forces,” he added.

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The unions also criticised how the perception of the work of security agents may have a “negative impact on their performance” and faced with these “dangers”, the unions have responded by calling for protests tomorrow by security agents.

The unions have also given “15 days to the assembly of the representatives of the people to present in plenary the draft law on repression of attacks against the armed forces.”

If this deadline is not respected, the unions have planned further protests for 21 November and the “lifting of the protection of all deputies and all party presidents represented in the ARP” according to the statement.

The full statement from Unions in Tunisia, criticising the Assembly of People’s Representatives [Pinterest]