Tunisian football fans threaten 'havoc' after police sentences cut in teen death case

Judges reduced an initial verdict of two years to a one year suspended prison sentence following appeal

Tunisian supporters of Club Africain during a demonstration in front of the First Instance Court of Ben Arous during the opening of the trial in the case of Omar Laabidi, in Tunis, Tunisia, 31 March 2022. EPAShow less

Anger is mounting in Tunisia as judges at the Tunis Appeal Court’s Criminal Division decided to reduce the prison sentences of 12 police officers implicated in the drowning of 19-year-old football fan Omar Laabidi in 2018.

A Tunisian judge at the Ben Arous First Instance Court initially condemned and sentenced the accused police officers to two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter last November.

The police officers also faced accusations of committing the crime of “failure to assist a person in danger”, however, the court did not reach a verdict on this offence.

Tunisian Ultra groups associated with several rival football clubs and linked to hooliganism, including The North Vandals – of which Mr Laabidi was a member – issued a joint statement on Sunday accusing the judge presiding over the case of alleged corruption and conflict of interest, as her husband is a police officer.

“Corruption is within the judicial inspectorate itself and in a situation of blatant conflict of interest – which is evident as her [the judge] husband is a police officer,” the statement read.

They said this conflict of interest could create further police immunity, which Tunisia had already witnessed throughout its history.

The fan clubs also hinted that they would take to the streets.

“The ruins of the curtain of your legitimacy will lead to the birth of a new era – from which you have no escape – an inevitable response to the brutality of your police system,” the football ultra clubs said in the same statement.

“There will be a fierce popular response in support of the truth, wreaking havoc on all your tools.”

Football fans clash with riot police during the CAF Champions League quarter-final match between Tunisia's Esperance Sportive de Tunis and Algeria's JS Kabylie at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades on April 29, 2023. AFP

On March 31, 2018, clashes erupted between police and football fans after a riot took place following a match between football clubs Club Africain and L’Olympique de Medenine.

As security forces used tear gas and violently dispersed football fans, Mr Laabidi tried to escape until he reached the ‘Oued Meliane’ river where he drowned.

Witnesses said police cornered Mr Laabidi and scared him off in order to jump into the water, despite him saying that he could not swim.

The police officers implicated in the case reportedly told him “Ta’alem Oum,” or “learn to swim”, pushing him to jump in the river and drowning as a result.

Since then, the incident instigated widespread anger across the country and led to the birth of the anti-police brutality movement “Ta’alem Oum” igniting nationwide protests that involved hundreds of Tunisians.

Protesters clash with riot police attempting to disperse the crowd during demonstrations in Kasserine. Reuters

In recent years, Tunisia’s Ministry of Interior has been repeatedly accused of manipulating assault cases involving its officers, including the use of lethal force.

The majority of the cases were either dismissed or remain pending, with investigations still open and taking years to resolve.

In April, 2021, 29-year-old Abdesalem Zayen died in custody after police officers refused to let him receive a vital insulin dose for his diabetes.

Mr Zayen was pulled over by the police in the southern governorate of Sfax for reportedly violating Tunisia’s 8pm Covid-19 curfew. He was later arrested and detained for allegedly insulting the police officers after objecting to the reason for his arrest.

In June of the same year, 32 year old Ahmed Ben Ammar, died while in police custody after getting arrested in the working-class neighbourhood of Sidi Hassine. The head of the police division that arrested Mr Ben Ammar, who was initially detained, was later released after an autopsy report was inconclusive.

The case also led to widespread riots in the neighbourhood with several people injured and more violence perpetrated by Tunisian police. This included the beating of a 15-year-old who was stripped naked as he walked by one of the protests.

The video of the incident, which was widely circulated, has been since referred to as more evidence of deeply-rooted police brutality.

Police unions have been accused by the public of pressuring and intimidating the judiciary to drop charges faced by their affiliates, or pressuring them to issue light sentences.

Since the 2011 uprising which ousted the Ben Ali regime, successive Tunisian governments have failed to reform the country’s security system, which still operates under decades-old laws.