Tunisian trial shines light on use of military courts
ABC News
A 40-year-old Tunisian computer engineer turned corruption fighter will stand trial again in a military court Monday
TUNIS, Tunisia -- A few days after Tunisia’s president froze parliament and took on sweeping powers in July, a dozen men in unmarked vehicles and civilian clothes barged into politician Yassine Ayari’s family home overnight and took him away in his pajamas.
“These men weren’t wearing uniforms and they didn’t have a warrant,” Ayari told The Associated Press. “It was violent. My 4-year-old son still has nightmares about it.”
A 40-year-old computer engineer turned corruption fighter, Ayari will stand trial again in a military court on Monday, accused of insulting the presidency and defaming the army. It is the latest in a series of trials that shine a light on Tunisia’s use of military courts to push through convictions against civilians. Rights groups say the practice has accelerated since Saied’s seizure of power in July, and warn that its use further threatens hard-won freedoms amid Tunisia’s democratic backsliding.
The charges Ayari faces relate to Facebook posts in which he criticized President Kais Saied, calling him a “pharaoh” and his measures a “military coup.” Ayari intends to remain silent in court in a sign of protest against the judicial process, according to Ayari’s lawyer, Malek Ben Amor.
