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Tunisia Moves to Contain Fallout After Opposition Figure Is Assassinated
Tunisia Moves to Contain Fallout After Opposition Figure Is Assassinated
(about 2 hours later)
TUNIS — Tunisian officials moved quickly on Wednesday to contain the political fallout after a leading opposition figure was assassinated outside his home, announcing that they would dissolve the Islamist-led government and calling for a national unity cabinet as thousands took to the streets in protests that the security forces beat back with tear gas.
TUNIS — Tunisian officials moved quickly Wednesday to contain the fallout after a leading opposition figure was assassinated outside his home. They announced that they would restructure the Islamist-led government and form a national unity cabinet as thousands took to the streets in protests that security forces beat back with tear gas.
The killing of the politician, Chokri Belaid, one of Tunisia’s best-known human rights defenders and a fierce critic of hard-line Islamists known as Salafis, escalated simmering tensions in a society torn between its legacy as a bastion of Arab secularism and its new role as a proving ground for the region’s ascendant Islamist parties.
The killing of the politician, Chokri Belaid, one of Tunisia’s best-known human rights defenders and a fierce critic of the ruling Islamist party, placed dangerous new strains on a society struggling to reconcile its identity as a long-vaunted bastion of Arab secularism with its new role as a proving ground for one of the region’s ascendant Islamist parties.
The explosion of anger, which led to the death of a police officer in the center of the capital, Tunis, late Wednesday, posed a severe challenge to the ruling moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, which came to power in Tunisia promising to provide a model government that blended Islamist and democratic rule.
The explosion of popular anger, which led to the death of a police officer in the capital, posed a severe challenge to the governing party, Ennahda, which came to power promising a model government that blended Islamist principles with tolerant pluralism.
Mr. Belaid was shot and killed outside his home in an upscale neighborhood of Tunis on Wednesday as he was getting into his car. The interior minister, citing witnesses, said two unidentified gunmen fired on Mr. Belaid, striking him with four bullets.
Mr. Belaid was shot and killed outside his home in an upscale Tunis neighborhood as he was getting into his car on Wednesday morning. The interior minister, citing witnesses, said that two unidentified gunmen had fired on Mr. Belaid, striking him with four bullets.
The killing, which was the first political assassination since the overthrow of Tunisia’s autocratic leader, marked a dark turn for the country that set off the Arab uprisings in 2011. It resonated in countries like Egypt and Libya, struggling to contain political violence while looking to Tunisia’s chaotic but orderly transition as a hopeful example.
The killing, which analysts said was the first confirmed political assassination here since the overthrow of the autocratic leader, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, was a dark turn for the country that was the birthplace of the Arab uprisings of two years ago. It resonated in countries like Egypt and Libya that are struggling to contain political violence while looking to Tunisia’s turbulent but hopeful transition as a reassuring example.
“Confronting violence, radicalism and the forces of darkness is the main priorities for societies if they want freedom and democracy,” Amr Hamzawy, a member of Egypt’s main secular opposition coalition, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “Assassinating Chokri Belaid is warning bell in Tunisia, and in Egypt too.”
“Confronting violence, radicalism and the forces of darkness is the main priority for societies if they want freedom and democracy,” Amr Hamzawy, a member of Egypt’s main secular opposition coalition, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. “Assassinating Chokri Belaid is warning bell in Tunisia, and in Egypt too.”
The response by Tunisian officials was also being closely watched. In a stunned Tunisia on Wednesday, thousands of people took to the streets of Tunis and other cities to protest the assassination. There were clashes on Avenue Habib Bourgiba in Tunis, as riot police officers fired tear gas and beat protesters in scenes reminiscent of the uprising.
The response by Tunisian officials was being closely watched. President Moncef Marzouki cut short an overseas trip to deal with the crisis. The prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, called the killing a “heinous crime against the Tunisian people, against the principles of the revolution and the values of tolerance and acceptance of the other.”
The prime minister, Hamadi Jabali, called the killing a “heinous crime against the Tunisian people, against the principle of the revolution and the values of tolerance and acceptance of the other.”
Bowing to the outrage, he said cabinet ministers would be replaced with technocrats not tied to any party until elections can be held.
Bowing to the widespread outrage, Mr. Jabali announced on Wednesday night that he was dissolving the Islamist-led government, and replacing cabinet ministers with technocrats not tied to any political party — an expected move hastened by the crisis. The country’s president, Moncef Marzouki, cut short an overseas trip to deal with the fallout.
The announcement, which had been expected for months, held out the promise that Tunisia might continue to avoid the political chaos that has plagued its neighbors. Since the uprising, the country has held successful elections, leading to a coalition government merging Ennahda and two center-left parties. An assembly writing the country’s constitution has circumscribed the role of Islamic law, allowing Tunisia to avoid the arguments over basic legal matters that have led to protracted unrest in Egypt.
Mr. Belaid, who was in his late 40s, and others had accused Ennahda of accommodating the Salafis by refusing to prosecute them or crack down on the groups. In recent days, Mr. Belaid, a lawyer who had received numerous death threats including from hard-line imams, had accused Islamists of carrying out an attack on a meeting of his supporters on Saturday.
The struggle over identity here has taken a different form, as hard-line Islamists have pressured Ennhada to take a more conservative path. Secular groups have faulted Ennahda for failing to confront the hard-liners, or for secretly supporting them. The restructuring does not completely loosen Ennahda’s hold on political power.
“At the end of our meeting, a group of Ennahda mercenaries and Salafists attacked our activists,” Mr. Belaid said.
The killing remained a mystery on Wednesday. The authorities did not announce any arrests, saying only that witnesses said the gunmen had appeared to be no more than 30 years old. Among Mr. Belaid’s colleagues and relatives, suspicions immediately fell on the hard-line Islamists known as Salafists, some of whom have marred the transition with acts of violence, including attacks on liquor stores and Sufi mausoleums.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing. In a statement on Wednesday, Ennahda denied any responsibility, saying the killing jeopardized the “security and stability of Tunisia.”
Mr. Belaid, a leading member of Tunisia’s leftist opposition alliance, criticized the governing party for turning a blind eye to criminal acts by the Salafists, and had received a string of death threats for his political stands, his family said.
In Washington, the State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, criticized the killing, calling it an “outrageous and cowardly act.”
Monica Marks reported from Tunis, and Kareem Fahim from Cairo. Reporting was contributed by Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong, Mayy El Sheikh from Cairo, David D. Kirkpatrick from Antakya, Turkey, and Brian Knowlton from Washington.
She urged the government in Tunis to conduct a “fair, transparent and professional investigation to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice consistent with Tunisian law and international norms.” Noting the protests that erupted in response to the killing, Ms. Nuland called on all Tunisians “to respect the rule of law, to renounce violence and to express themselves about this incident and anything else peacefully.”
As news of the assassination spread, thousands of people gathered in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters, a massive gray building that is still a hated symbol of Tunisia’s deposed authoritarian leader, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, to express anger at Tunisia’s new government. “The people want the fall of the regime,” a group chanted, reprising the uprising’s refrain.
“Resignation, resignation, the cabinet of treason!” others shouted.
Riot police officers fired tear gas into the crowds and plainclothes officers beat demonstrators who did not run, witnesses said.
There were reports of attacks on Ennahda offices in different parts of the country, including in Sidi Bouzid, the town where the Tunisian revolt began.
“To have an assassination at this time with a firearm at point-blank range is shocking,” said Amna Guellali, a researcher for Human Rights Watch based in Tunis.
“We’re in a climate of political violence now,” she added, saying that Human Rights Watch had documented numerous attacks against activists, journalists and political figures by Salafist and other groups. “Last month, there were various leaders targeted, various meetings of political parties disrupted and assaulted,” she said.
Ms. Guellali said that on Tuesday, Mr. Belaid had called for a national dialogue to confront political violence. “He said political violence was becoming more organized due to the laxity of the government,” she said. “This just adds to the tragedy.”
Monica Marks reported from Tunis, and Kareem Fahim from Cairo. Reporting was contributed by Gerry Mullany from Hong Kong, Mayy el Sheikh from Cairo and Brian Knowlton from Washington.
