Tunisian judge jails 8 police union protesters

• Tunisian judge jails eight police union members for endangering public safety and disobedience.
• They fought with police officers who tried to break up their sit-in protest.
• Unions say the government is trying to stop union activity, which they say was a big win for them.

Tunisian judge put eight police union members in jail for endangering public safety and disobedience after they fought with police officers who tried to break up their sit-in protest, A union official said Friday.

Between police unions and the Interior Ministry, things are getting worse. The unions said that the government was trying to stop union activity, which they say was a big win for them after the revolution in 2011.

It comes at a time when President Kais Saied is being criticised for tightening his grip on power. Last year, he took over executive power, dissolved parliament, named a new election body, and replaced the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, which his critics called a coup.

Saied says he is innocent and that all he wants to do is start a new republic that will end years of chaos, lawlessness, lack of justice, and widespread corruption.

He has said more than once this year that security unions should be merged into one and their activities should be limited, which is something that police unions are against.

“The military judge decided to put eight union members in jail because of what happened when a union sit-in was broken up without court permission.” A member of the Internal Security Forces Union, Chokri Hamada, said

Earlier, the Interior Ministry said that legal complaints had been made against unionists who fought back when police tried to take down their tents. The union said no.

“The sit-ins was peaceful..it did not harm public security, there is no disobedience and its aim was to show our refusal to hit union work,” Hamada said.

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