The Fifth Criminal Chamber, specializing in terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance, delivered its ruling in the assassination case of Chokri Belaid after comprehensive deliberations. The court convicted four people to the death penalty and two others to life imprisonment, as reported by Ayman Chtiba, the first deputy attorney general at the judicial pole for the fight against terrorism, during a press briefing at the court headquarters this Wednesday morning.
Chtiba clarified that following legal discussions, the court also handed down prison sentences varying from two years to 120 years to several defendants in the case, considering the cumulative duration of sentences for each separate violation. Some of these sentences were ordered to take immediate effect.
Further, the court dismissed charges against five defendants, noting their prosecution for the same charges in different cases. Similarly, it mandated that all defendants undergo administrative supervision for three to five years.
As per Chtiba’s briefing, the total number of individuals accused in the murder of Chokri Belaid on February 6, 2013, amounts to 23, with 14 currently incarcerated and 9 released on bail.
Chtiba did not reveal the specific identities of those sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
The president of the Fifth Criminal Chamber adjourned the hearing on Tuesday morning to finalize and declare the verdict, following the conclusion of the final statements from the accused.
This chamber resumed the examination of Belaid’s assassination case on February 6, 2023, and over several sessions, listened to the arguments from the defence teams of both the martyrs and the accused, as well as the testimonies of the accused themselves.