In an exclusive documentary Rageh Omaar traces the roots and repercussions of the uprising in Tunisia - a revolution which ended half a century of autocratic rule and inspired a wave of public protest that swept across the Arab world. [...]
Mohammed Bouazizi's self-immolation and the demonstrations which followed might have caught the public imagination, but protest in Tunis remained unthinkable for most. Ben Ali's interior ministry, the headquarters of a police state of more than 200,000 agents, was still in control.
Further demonstrations in the south led to the shooting dead of several protesters and ultimately to people coming out on to the streets of the capital. It was at this point that Ben Ali decided it was time to apply his personal touch. [...]
Ben Ali recognised that the population were losing their fear and decided to deliver a lesson in terror. He deployed sniper units in the southern town of Kasserine, it seems with orders to shoot to kill. There are still no accurate casualty figures but at least 20 people were shot dead and the injuries caused by the use of military weaponry were horrific.
No comments:
Post a Comment