Rights Group says 35 Dead in Tunisia Protests
by Lisa Bryant, Voice of America, 11 January 2011 [here]
An international rights group says at least 35 people have died in Tunisia during recent days of protests. Protests in Tunisia and in neighboring Algeria are raising questions about the hard-line governments in the two North African countries.
There are striking similarities in the protests that have swept through Tunisia and Algeria in recent weeks. Both were fueled by a toxic mix of high unemployment and rising the cost of food and other basic goods. Both cast a spotlight on a restive and marginalized youth - and their authoritarian governments. …
Reports say protests this past weekend left five people dead in Algeria. The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights says at least 35 people were killed in Tunisia during the same period.
The general secretary of the rights group, Khadija Cherif, is Tunisian by origin, says instead of trying to resolve the problem peacefully, Tunisian police fired on the protesters, accused them of terrorism and clamped down on freedom of expression, including the Internet.
The United States, the European Union and former colonial power France have expressed concern about the unrest in Tunisia and Algeria. … [more]