Tunisian Man Dies From Injuries Sustained in Anti-government Protest
A Tunisian man who was wounded by security forces during an anti-government protest last week has died of his injuries. Rhida Bouziane, 57, was critically wounded on Friday and died because of “excessive violence inflicted on the demonstrator,” the Citizens Against the Coup campaign said on Facebook. Bouziane was one of hundreds of protesters commemorating the 11th anniversary of Tunisia’s 2011 revolution that removed longtime leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power and demonstrating against President Kais Saied’s late July seizure of power. Opponents have called Saied’s move a “coup against the constitution.” Saied denies that he took power in a coup and promises to uphold the rights and freedoms won in Tunisia’s revolution, which triggered the Arab Spring uprisings across the region. Friday’s protest was also against harsh measures the government has taken, including a ban on all indoor or outdoor gatherings, that are ostensibly aimed at stopping the COVID-19 wave. Samir Dilou, the former leader of the Ennahdha movement, the party with the largest number of seats in Tunisia’s suspended parliament, condemned Bouziane’s death on Wednesday. “The deceased left his home on January 14 to participate in the commemoration of the revolution. He said goodbye to his two daughters and son. They waited for him for five days, but he never returned,” said Dilou. Ennahdha called the death a “murder” and charged that for five days the government hid from Bouziane’s family the fact that he was in intensive care.
