Prime Ministry's meet martyrs of revolution in Tunis

Progress of the investigation on martyrs of the Revolution and the development of the security situation in the country were the major issues addressed on Friday at the 23rd press meeting of the Prime Ministry's information cell. Reviewing the progress of the investigation into the affairs of martyrs of Thala and Kasserine, Major Colonel Marouane Bouguerra, Attorney General and Chief of Military Justice said the investigating judge of the permanent military court of Kef has been entrusted with these cases since last May 25, after a decision of transfer issued by the examining judge of the Court of First Instance of Kasserine. These cases, he added, were followed by other ones which, in turn, were transferred to the permanent military court of Kef by the investigating judges of the courts of first instance of Kasserine I, Kef I and Kasserine II. These cases which regard victims who fell in these cities were added to the first case under investigation in order to unify the procedures on the basis of provisions of Article 131 of the Code of Criminal Procedures, he said. The representative of the National Defence Ministry said this case regards victims of the events that occurred from December 17, 2010 to January 14, 2011, adding that these events were marked by clashes that caused several deaths and injured. Victims shot dead in Thala, he specified, are 6, 14 in Kasserine, 1 in Tajerouine and 1 in Kairouan, i.e. a total of 22 killed by bullets in addition to a number of wounded. He reminded, in this context, of the hearing of 400 testimonies of victims who were subjected to medical examination while bodies were unburied for autopsy. Regarding the issue of snipers which is in the hands of military justice, the Major Colonel "denied the existence of real snipers," saying that authors of these shots are internal security agents who had worn snipers' masks and made use of regular weapons according to the elements of the investigation pending the end of the inquiry into these cases. Representatives of the Interior Ministry Hichem Mouaddeb stressed the efforts exerted by the home security forces to ensure the security of citizens, particularly on the Tunisian-Libyan border and in remote and isolated areas. He also reviewed efforts made by the security forces to ensure the protection of diplomatic representations and personalities, saying that over 500 points were secured during the Revolution. Regarding the development of the security situation and activities of the Interior Ministry in matters of civil defence and on the borders, the head of public relations at the Civil Defence Office pointed to the setting up of two medical centres in the border crossings of Ras Jedir and Dhehiba. Regarding interventions of the civil defence units in fighting against fires, he stressed the start from this year of the use of mobile units of civil defence in many parts of the country to support the regional efforts. He also pointed to the creation of new mobile units to fight against forest fire in the Governorate of Siliana and the creation of early warning units to be tasked with organising patrols in largest agricultural and forest areas. Some 450 volunteers were also made available to civil protection units to contribute to the fight against fire, i.e.  an increase of 263 volunteers compared to the last year, he said. The number of forest fires fell by 17% in July 2011 compared to 2010, said the head of information at the civil defence office, noting that damaged areas recorded an increase compared to the last year, reaching 533 hectares as a result of the fire that broke out on July 15, 2011 in the forest of Oued El Kasseb, delegation of Hammam Ghezaz, hitting about 400 hectares.