The declaration of a state of emergency in Tunisia, more than a week after the attack in which 38 tourists were killed, arouses fears about the restriction of public freedoms, reports Agence France-Presse.
Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency in the country yesterday, eight days after a bloody attack by an armed man on tourists on the beach of a Tunisian hotel. The state of emergency gives additional powers to the army and the police.
Authorities also discovered that the young man who carried out the attack worked in tourism as an animator.
His mother, for her part, said that her son loved breakdancing and football and that he was a "victim of brainwashing".
The state of emergency was declared for 30 days, with the possibility of extension. It was introduced as an emergency measure because of the dangers that threaten the country and the "special kind of war" it is facing, the president said, and warned that "the country will fall apart" if the events in Susu are repeated.
Tunisia has already gone through a three-year state of emergency imposed in January 2011 after the escape of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and before the beginning of the street demonstrations that started the "Arab Spring". It was abolished in March 2014.
Since the revolution, Tunisia has increasingly faced an increase in jihadist attacks, which have been responsible for the killing of dozens of soldiers and policemen.
The state of emergency allows the authorities to prohibit strikes and gatherings that could cause provocations or riots, also to temporarily close places where events are held and to take all measures to control the press and various publications.
The editorial of the French daily Press (La Presse) welcomes the decision on the state of emergency and states that it should be supported by the people and that all participants of civil society undertake to support the various security units.
The Arabic-language daily Al Maghreb, however, wonders about the possible consequences for freedoms and whether this means a declaration of war against strikes, demonstrations, the media, culture.
There are fears that this decision could lead to the criminalization of social movements, said Hamha Medeb, a researcher at the Carnegie Center for the Middle East.
"There is a risk that the state of emergency is used to stifle the demands of society," he said.
The number of strikes and protests has increased since the revolution of 2011, and the unemployment and misery that were the cause of the rebellion then continue to affect a country where over 30 percent of young people with degrees are unemployed.
Medeb believes that there is no national strategy to fight terrorism that would actually collect data and control sensitive websites.
In an interview published today in the Pres daily, Prime Minister Habib Esid confirmed that the attacker was identified as Seifedin Rezgi, a 23-year-old student who worked as an animator in tourism. This transformation from a "normal" profile stunned the Tunisian public. Esid said that we need to work on essential changes in culture and teaching, and that we need to implement reforms in the economy and education.
The Prime Minister said that the country needs to introduce methods for "de-radicalization" of young people returning from conflict zones, considering that Tunisia provides the largest contingent for extremist groups, around 3.000 people.
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