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Night protests continue in Tunisia for fifth day

October 19, 2022 at 11:05 am

Protesters clash with police as they gather to protest the death of 17-year-old young man at hospital in Tunis, Tunisia on October 15, 2022 [Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency]

Protests and night-time confrontations between Tunisian police forces and young men continued in the capital for the fifth consecutive day since a young man died as a result of his injuries during a pursuit by security forces.

The area where the protests are taking place has expanded and included Al-Zahrouni, Aqaba, Al-Jabal Al-Ahmar, Al-Zohour, Ibn Khaldun and Al-Tadamon neighbourhoods in the capital Tunis, while the police used tear gas extensively to disperse the protesters.

The protests erupted due to the death of a young man from Al-Tadamon neighbourhood three weeks after the police assaulted him during a pursuit, according to eyewitness accounts. This was denied by the Tunisian Ministry of Interior.

The police used tear gas extensively to disperse protesters, in addition to sound bombs. Flames could be seen as demonstrators set fire to tyres.

READ: Security approach to protest was wrong, says civil society group

The head of the Information Office at the Ministry of Interior, Faker Bouzghaia, said in press statements two days ago that “reports of the deceased young man, Malik Al-Sulaimi, being subjected to violence by security men contain many inaccuracies.”

He explained that “a patrol arrested Malik Al-Sulaimi and his two friends as a routine procedure, but he ran away, jumped from a high wall and fell, and all necessary precautions were taken. The Public Prosecution was consulted, and the young man was transported quickly to hospital.”