Scenes of a young man being beaten, stripped, and dragged in public by police officers have ignited widespread anger in Tunisia, alongside calls for an investigation and accountability for those responsible. Social media has been circulating a video since Wednesday evening documenting the violent assault on a young man by security forces in the Sidi Hussein Sijoumi area near the capital, Tunis.
The video shows the young man lying on the ground, being kicked and trampled after being completely stripped of his clothing, then dragged and taken naked to a police car in front of bystanders, who raised their voices to stop the beating.
#### Reactions in Parliament
Several MPs condemned the incident during a Thursday session of the Tunisian Parliament, describing the scene as "shocking and damaging to the country's image," and demanding the judicial authorities open an investigation.
The second deputy speaker of Parliament, Tarek Fteiti, denounced the assault, calling for an apology from the Prime Minister and the acting Minister of Interior Hichem Mechichi to the Tunisian people. He deemed the incident "humiliating and damaging to the security institution, the people, and the state," emphasizing that he had only seen such brutality in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Additionally, MP Mabrouk Kourchid from the National Bloc criticized the assault, stating that silence on the matter was unacceptable, urging the judiciary to launch an investigation.
#### Legal Pursuit
The Tunisian Center for Rights and Freedoms expressed shock in a statement over the scene of a Tunisian citizen being stripped and violently assaulted in public, witnessed by passersby. They also confirmed their readiness to support any legal or rights efforts to pursue and hold the attackers accountable, attributing full responsibility to all successive governments.
