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Tunisia jails five on terrorism charges - lawyer

19 Jul 2008 13:16:48 GMT
Source: Reuters

TUNIS, July 19 (Reuters) - A Tunis court jailed five Islamists, including two police officers and a teacher, for up to nine years on charges of belonging to a terrorist cell and planning attacks, their lawyer said on Saturday.

Police officer Souhail Guezzah and Hichem Barrak, a sports teacher, were given nine years in jail and three others including a second police officer were sentenced to jail terms ranging from four to eight years, lawyer Samir Ben Amor said.

Ben Amor said the men, who were arrested last year, all denied the charges of belonging to a terrorist group, planning attacks to disturb public order and failing to denounce planned crimes to the authorities.

"The verdict is bizarre. Normally the sentence for withholding information is one year or a deferred sentence but in this case it was four years," Ben Amor said.

"What is more, the file did not contain any evidence backing these accusations," he said, adding that they intend to appeal against the sentences handed down last week.

Tunisia is known as a stable, moderate Western ally and a seaside holiday spot for Europeans but lawyers say the secular-minded authorities have arrested around 1,000 people since 2003 on terrorism-related charges.

The government has tightened anti-terrorism laws to root out radical Islamists suspected of planning attacks.

Rights groups say many were jailed after forced confessions and unfair trials, something the government denies. (Reporting by Sonia Ounissi; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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