TUNIS — A
Tunisian court
sentenced 16 people to death in the first judgments against Islamist extremists
involved in 2016 attacks near the Libyan border that left scores dead, media
reported Saturday.
اضافة اعلان
A total of 96 people stand accused in the
trial relating to the March 2016 events that saw the town of Ben Guerdane
become the stage of a bloody battle as members of Daesh’s Libya branch staged a
series of deadly attacks.
The court specialized in terrorism offenses
handed 16 of the defendants Tunisia's toughest sentence, though the country has
imposed a moratorium on capital punishment since 1991.
The remaining defendants were handed
sentences ranging from four years to life in prison, though a small but unspecified
number of defendants were acquitted, the reports said.
The prosecution said it would appeal.
Following the attacks in Ben Guerdane, the
Tunisian authorities said they had thwarted an attempt by Daesh militant group
to establish a foothold within the country.
The attacks killed 13 members of the
security forces and seven civilians. In addition, 55 attackers were also
killed.
Following the 2011 revolution that toppled
longtime president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia saw a surge in militant
attacks across the country.
Many Tunisians also traveled to
Syria or
Iraq to join the Daesh or other extremists.
The security situation has greatly improved
in recent years, but Tunisian forces continue to hunt suspected extremists in
parts of the country.
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