Last Friday's murder trial for the 24 individuals who were accused of killing opposition leader Chokri Belaid in Tunisia in 2013 has been delayed after seven of the suspects refused to show up in court. According to the defendants, their absence signifies their protest against the ill treatment they received at the hands of the prison guards.
Some of the suspects noted that since they have been detained in the Mornaguia prison around two years ago, they have been tortured every day in prison. One of them, Riadh Ouertani who attended the hearing, compared the prison to the U.S.' Guantanamo Bay. This forced the judge who was overseeing the trial last week to reschedule the hearing, Yahoo News reported.
Speaking on behalf of the attorney general, Kamel Barbouche said the next hearing regarding the murder case will take place on March 15 of this year. In addition, the judge has also agreed to release one of the defendants based on the demands from his legal representative. The spokesperson, however, did not give out the name of the freed inmate nor clarified if the judge's decision was connected to the suspects' torture allegations.
Kais Soltani, the representative for the Mornaguia prison, however, maintained that the defendants were not mistreated. He then added that the accused were just trying to appeal to the judge's pity.
The trial stems from the murder of Belaid, a Tunisian politician and lawyer who led the opposition group Democratic Patriots' Movement. On Feb. 6, 2013, he was gunned down outside his house, according to Middle East Eye.
Prior to his murder, Belaid was a known critic of the country's Islamist political party known as the Ennahda Movement. This led authorities to believe that Islamist militants were the ones behind the opposition leader's assassination.
However, for the family of the slain opposition leader, the case may be more complicated than just pinning the murder on extremists. For them, further investigation need to be carried out regarding the case, Daily Mail has learned.
