DUBAI: Tunisia’s biggest political party apologized Sunday for violence against journalists during Saturday’s rally, state news agency TAP reported.
Ennahda apologized for “the abuses committed against journalists” during the march in the capital Tunis, that had been organized by the party, the report added.
“The abuses committed by participants in the march against a number of journalists by no means represent the party’s position in dealing with media professionals,” TAP quoted Ennahda.
The National Union of Tunisian Journalists, SNJT, condemned the “recurrent” violence against journalists committed by Ennahdha’s supporters in Saturday’s rally, the report added.
“The apathy shown by Ennahdha’s leaders in the face of the acts of violence unveils their tacit approval of these practices and their willingness to exercise control over the Fourth Estate,” TAP quoted SNJT.
The union said they will prosecute assaulters and the organizing committee over violating “the laws guaranteeing the freedom of work of journalists,” the report added.
The party organized one of the biggest demonstrations since the 2011 revolution on Saturday, where tens of thousands supporters marched through central Tunis chanting “The people want to protect institutions!” and “The people want national unity.”
The dispute has played out against a grim backdrop of economic anxiety, disillusionment with democracy and competing reform demands from foreign lenders and the Tunisian General Labour Union, UGTT, as debt repayments loom.
Ennahda is a moderate Islamist party led by Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi and has backed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi in a standoff with President Kais Saied over a cabinet reshuffle.
It was banned before the revolution, but has been a member of most governing coalitions since then and although its share of the vote has fallen in recent years, it still holds the most seats in parliament.
“Nationalists, Islamists, democrats and communists,” Ghannouchi told the crowd, “we were gathered together during the dictatorship ... and we must unite again.”
(with wires)
Tunisia’s main party apologizes for attacks against journalists during rally
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Tunisia’s main party apologizes for attacks against journalists during rally
- Ennahda apologized for “the abuses committed against journalists” during the march
- The National Union of Tunisian Journalists, SNJT, condemned the “recurrent” violence against journalists committed by Ennahdha’s supporters in Saturday’s rally
Family of Palestinian-American shot dead by Israeli settler demand accountability
- Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community
LONDON: The family of a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man reportedly shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank have demanded accountability, amid mounting scrutiny over a surge in settler violence and a lack of prosecutions.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam, a US citizen born in Philadelphia, was killed near the city of Ramallah on Wednesday, becoming at least the sixth American citizen to die in incidents involving Israeli settlers or soldiers in the territory in the past two years.
Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community. Witnesses said that stones were thrown by both sides before settlers opened fire, wounding at least three villagers.
Abu Siyam was struck and later died of his injuries.
Abdulhamid Siyam, the victim’s cousin, said the killing reflected a wider pattern of impunity.
“A young man of 19 shot and killed in cold blood, and no responsibility,” he told the BBC. “Impunity completely.”
The US State Department said that it was aware of the death of a US citizen and was “carefully monitoring the situation,” while the Trump administration said that it stood ready to provide consular assistance.
The Israeli embassy in Washington said the incident was under review and that an operational inquiry “must be completed as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said troops were deployed to the scene and used “riot dispersal means to restore order,” adding that no IDF gunfire was reported.
The military confirmed that the incident remained under review and said that a continued presence would be maintained in the area to prevent further unrest.
Palestinians and human rights organizations say such reviews rarely lead to criminal accountability, arguing that Israeli authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers accused of violence.
A US embassy spokesperson later said that Washington “condemns this violence,” as international concern continues to grow over conditions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to investigate or prosecute settlers accused of violence against civilians.
Those concerns were echoed this week by the UN, which warned that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank may amount to ethnic cleansing.
A UN human rights office report on Thursday said that Israeli settlement expansion, settler attacks and military operations have increasingly displaced Palestinian communities, with dozens of villages reportedly emptied since the start of the Gaza war.
The report also criticized Israeli military tactics in the northern West Bank, saying that they resembled warfare and led to mass displacement, while noting abuses by Palestinian security forces, including the use of unnecessary lethal force and the intimidation of critics.
Neither Israel’s foreign ministry nor the Palestinian Authority has commented on the findings.
