Four men arrested on July 19 in the northern Tunisian town of Menzel Bourguiba are now facing unfair trials before military courts. Amnesty International opposes the trial of civilians before military courts. The four men, Ayman Gharib, Anis el-Krifi, Walid Boujbali and Haitham el-Mejri, were arrested at their homes during raids by the security forces in the early hours of 19 July. They were among many arrested following clashes between demonstrators and security officers in Menzel Bourguiba on 16 July, during which a police station and a police car were reportedly set on fire. Apart from the four men, all those arrested were later released. The four men are being charged under articles 72, 74 and 77 of the Tunisian Criminal Code which punish offences including “assault with the intention of changing the government”, “inciting individuals to attack one another with weapons” and “causing disorder, killings and robbery”. They also include charges of “creating or leading armed groups that destroy public or private property” and “being part of an armed or unarmed group that attacked civilians and property”. Both articles 72 and 74 carry the death penalty. One of the lawyers representing the four men has claimed that the case has been referred to a military court, despite all four being civilians on the basis of medical reports submitted by three security officers claiming they were injured during the events of 16 July. The lawyer believes that the charges have all been fabricated, especially as there are no witnesses to place the four men at the scene, and one of the accused has two witnesses claiming he was in a mosque for the duration of the clashes on 16 July. None of the men was found with any weapons. Eight other men have also been referred to military trials in connection with the events of 16 July. However, they were never arrested and are now considered to be fugitives from justice. Amnesty
