Tunisians protest to demand release of jailed activist

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of the Tunisian capital on Saturday to demand the release of a gay rights and democracy activist sentenced to prison for insulting police officers.

Rania Amdouni, a 26-year-old LGBT rights activist often seen at pro-democracy protests, was the target of a smear campaign against police unions after participating in protests against police repression in January .

His photo has been published several times on social networks, in particular by the police unions, accompanied by degrading comments and personal information, including his address.

On Thursday, her lawyer Amine Hadiji said she was sentenced to six months in prison for insulting police officers as she tried to press charges of police intimidation.

Protesters gathered on the historic Habib Bourguiba Avenue in central Tunis on Saturday to demand “the freedom of Amdouni” and other Tunisians arrested in recent protests.

They carried photos of Amdouni and signs saying “never back down, never give up the resistance” and “freedom is a must”.

“Rania is one of us and the sentence against her is unfair,” a young protester who gave only her first name, Balqis, told AFP.

Protester Emna Sahli said protesters wanted the release of all Tunisians detained during protests over the past two months against police repression, poverty, corruption and unemployment.

“A large number of people have been arrested. This never happened even during the dictatorship,” Sahli said, referring to the autocratic regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The strongman was ousted ten years ago during the Arab Spring uprising that began in Tunisia before spreading to other countries in the region, where the leaders have also been neglected.

Tunisia has often been hailed as a rare achievement for its democratic transition after its 2011 revolution.

But many Tunisians are angry with a political class seen as locked in power struggles and disconnected from the suffering of ordinary people, facing soaring prices and high unemployment.

More than 1,000 protesters who took to the streets earlier this year have been arrested, according to human rights groups, and although some have been released, others are still being held.

Saturday’s demonstration responded to a call for demonstrations by several opposition parties and civil society groups to denounce the economic difficulties.