Protesters killed in Tunisia riots

[bemildred]

Source: Al Jazeera

At least 20 people have been killed in clashes with police in a two cities in Tunisia.

Six people were killed and another six wounded in the city of Tala, 200km southwest of the capital Tunis, on Saturday, after security forces opened fire on protesters.

Another 14 people were killed in similar clashes in the Kasserine region, union sources told Al Jazeera.

Belgacem Sayhi, a teacher and trade union activist, told the AFP news agency that the victims in Tala were between 17 and 30 years old, and were killed when the police opened fire on the crowd.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/2011191414183128.html

[maddezmom]

1. kick

[Turborama]

2. Fourteen killed in Tunisia unemployment protests

Source: BBC

The number of people killed in unrest over unemployment in Tunisia over the weekend has risen to 14, officials say.

The deaths occurred in the towns of Thala, Kasserine and Regueb, in the west and centre of the country.

An interior ministry statement said that in Thala and Kasserine, police had fired in self-defence after rioters attacked public buildings.

The protests first erupted last month over a lack of freedom and jobs.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12144906

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The image in my sig line is a link to an OP which contains an article about Anonymous coming to the aid of Tunisian online activists and more background info.

I have also added a few OPs to my journal which give further background info:

As Riots Continue, Tunisian Bloggers & Rapper Arrested
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/398

The Moor Next Door: More On Riots, Protests In North Africa (Why They Are Historically Important)
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/397

Interactive Map Of Countrywide Riots In Tunisia & Links To More Details That Have Been Ignored By International Media
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Turborama/396

[Joanne98]

3. Tunisia ups weekend riot death toll to 14

Source: WP

TUNIS, Tunisia -- Tunisia's Interior Ministry said Monday that 14 people were killed in weekend rioting in three towns in the deadliest episodes in more than three weeks of unusual unrest in this popular tourist destination.

The figure raises the earlier death toll for the weekend from eight.

The violence, which began Dec. 17 with protests over joblessness and other social ills, has scarred cities and towns around this small North African country.

The ministry says the western towns of Thala and Kasserine counted five deaths each Saturday and Sunday, while four died in the central-western town of Regueb.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011001264.html

[Turborama]

4. K&R (It's Al Jazeera English BTW)

There's a big difference between the two. ;-)

[reorg]

5. update Jan. 11

Tunisia Latest: Universities Closed as President Says Protests Are "Terrorist Act"
Tuesday, January 11, 2011

2120 GMT: Minister of Information Samir Abidi has said this evening that 19 demonstrators were killed on Saturday and Sunday in Thala and Kasserine. Abidi claimed more than 30 police were injured.

2105 GMT: Residents in Kassarine, where more than 20 people died this weekend, said demonstrators had been fired on from rooftops. They added that a curfew was been imposed, with snipers stationed on roofs.

The Government, which had limited itself to saying "at least 14" people died this weekend, said today that seven more had been killed. Activists and human rights groups say at least 50 people died on Saturday and Sunday.

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/1/11/tunisia-latest-universities-closed-as-president-says-protest.html

BBC, 11 January 2011

At least 35 people have died in violent unrest in Tunisia, according to a human rights group.

The authorities have said 21 people were killed in protests in recent days.

Union and health officials suggest that 50 died in the town of Kasserine alone. Fresh protests broke out late on Tuesday in the capital, Tunis.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12162096

http://atunisiangirl.blogspot.com/2011/01/les-5-martyrs-derregueb.html

http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2011/blog1101a.htm#tunisia_the_brink_of_revolution

Shortly before the December protests began, WikiLeaks released internal U.S. State Department communications in which the American ambassador described Ben Ali as aging, out of touch, and surrounded by corruption. Given Ben Ali's reputation as a stalwart U.S. ally, it mattered greatly to many Tunisians -- particularly to politically engaged Tunisians who are plugged into social media -- that American officials are saying the same things about Ben Ali that they themselves say about him. These revelations contributed to an environment that was ripe for a wave of protest that gathered broad support.

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/02/tunisia_s_protest_wave_where_it_comes_from_and_what_it_means_for_ben_ali

[reorg]

6. Troops move to curb Tunisia unrest

Units from the Tunisian military were deployed for the first time in the capital Tunis since deadly demonstrations over food prices and unemployment spread to the suburbs the night before.

Armoured vehicles rumbled through the streets and troops alighted from trucks to take up positions at major intersections early on Wednesday morning.

It is the first time that troops have been deployed in the capital since unrest broke out in the south of the country in mid-December.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/201111255834958114.html

[reorg]

7. Tunisia protests: 'Four killed' in overnight clashes

13 January 2011

At least four people died in overnight clashes with security forces in Tunisia despite a curfew and the deployment of troops, opposition officials have said.

...

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the deaths were "a result of some excessive measures used, such as snipers the indiscriminate killing of peaceful protesters".

...

Unions have also called for a strike in Tunis on Friday as another means to put pressure on the government. Union officials told the BBC that a strike had been observed in the central Kasserine region on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, al-Jazeera TV is reporting that the president has sacked two of his top advisers, Abdelaziz Ben Dhia and Abdelouahab Abdallah. And the AFP news agency quoted opposition officials as saying the Army chief of staff, Gen Rachid Ammar, had been replaced for refusing to order soldiers to put down the protesters.

...

There are also unconfirmed reports that the president's son-in-law, the billionaire businessman and MP Mohamed Sakher El Materi, has fled the country and taken refuge in the Canadian city of Montreal, where he owns a mansion. Protesters have directed much of their anger at the great wealth and lavish lifestyle of the president's extended family.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12180738