Tunisia puts revolutionary killers on trial

Security personnel chant slogans calling for justice and fair trials for arrested agents The first hearing of the military trail of those accused of killing Tunisian revolutionaries started on Monday. The defendants include the former president, two former ministers of the interior and a group of agents from the internal security forces. They are accused of suppressing protests in the cities of Thala, Kasserine, Kairouan and Tajerouine, within the period between  December 17 2010 to January 14 2011. The hearings took place in the city of El Kef (110 km north-west of Tunis) where the defendants had given orders to fire on the protesters and killed 22. At the same time, the court heard that 602 were wounded.
The two former Interior Ministers, Rafik Belhaj Kasem and Ahmed Freah, attended the hearings along with head of the Presidential Security, Ali Aseraati, head of  General National Security Adel Ataiwara, and number of journalists.
It was reported that, the city of El Kef witnessed a massive spread of heavy security and deployed tanks.
In addition, the officials placed a tent next to the military court, with a large screen display for martyrs’ families to watch the hearings from outside the court.
Agents of internal security forces protested in front of the permanent military court demanding the release of agents of the Internal Security Forces, have fair trials, prescribed law to protect security agents, and launch investigations to know the martyrs of the Security’s killers. They had claimed that, the snipers who killed revolutionaries are affiliated to the Military institution, not to the police as it’s promoted by the media.
The protesters also demanded of National Union of internal security forces to release of ‘police custody’, and called to return to the law No. 4 for demonstrations in Tunisia, which allows the police to deal with the demonstrations in order to protect the public property.
In a statement to the official new agency, the spokesman of the National Union of internal security forces, Shokry Hamada, stressed on the importance of launching investigations, which should include conducting autopsies on the dead and testing weapons used during the revolution. He said that will help to reveal the truth, and to know the oppressor and the oppressed.
Meanwhile, Algerian newspapers, 'Shorouk' reported harsh living conditions has forced dozens of Tunisians to cross the border and enter deep into Algerian territory through Omm Ali, 70km south of Tebessa.
The newspapers said on its website that more than 100 Tunisians (from different age groups) were displaced on Sunday, to the Algerian territory and called on Algerian authorities to allow them to stay.
The newspaper added: "Given the sensitivity of the issue, several Algerian security and civilian leaders- along with the Consul of Tunisia in Tebessa- tried to persuade them to go back to their land, but they insisted not to go back to Tunisia until they get official promises to improve their situation."
"Despite the attempts by dozens of those people to move forward to the town of Omm Ali, the Algerian officials have stopped them, saying to them that they must retun to their country."
In anticipation of the possibility of the number of displaced increasing, units of the national gendarmerie have spread on the entire border of Omm Ali, along with ambulances and civil protection in case of an outbreak of disease.
In 2008, 55 families were forced to escape to Algeria seeking better living conditions and escaping injustices they suffered during the movements of protest seen in the "Mining Area" (350 km south west of Tunis) that former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's regime oppressed through a mass raid of arrests affecting hundreds of activists.