A Tunisia court has sentenced four people to death over the murder of prominent political leader Chokri Belaid. His death in 2013 sparked mass protests against the country's then-ruling Islamists. A court in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, sentenced four people to death on Wednesday over the assassination of secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid. Belaid's assassination was claimed by jihadis loyal to the so-called "Islamic State" militant group. It was a severe blow to Tunisia's young democracy after the 2011 overthrow of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. What we know about the case Leftist politician Belaid had been fiercely critical of the Islamist Ennahda party that led the government at the time, which he accused of appeasing Islamist violence against secularists. The 48-year-old was the leader of the Popular Front coalition.  He was shot dead in his car, leading to violent protests at an already turbulent time just after the Arab Spring in 2011. It is thought to have been the first political assassination in decades, and came just months before another leftist, Mohamed Brahmi, was also shot dead. Despite a de facto moratorium, Tunisia still announces death sentences, particularly in "terrorism" cases. However, such penalties are effectively commuted to lifetime prison terms. Belaid's family and his fellow secularist politicians accused party leaders from Ennahda of being involved in the assassination. Although Belaid had a modest political following, his criticism of Ennahda and its policies resonated with many Tunisians. They feared that religious zealots would extinguish freedoms won in the first of revolts of the Arab Spring. The political influence of Ennahda was cut short in 2021 when President Kais Saied put in motion a sweeping power grab. Elected in 2019, Saied is expected to seek a second term in a yet-to-be-scheduled election.  He launched a power grab in July 2021, dismissing the prime minister and suspending parliament. Tunisia was the first country in which protests erupted after a fruit and vegetable vendor set fire to himself in response to the confiscation of his wares and alleged harassment.

Japan's ruling party and partners won enough votes to form a supermajority in an upper house election held just days after the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, local media said Monday.   The ex-premier's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito strengthened their hold by winning more than 75 of the 125 upper house seats up for grabs, according to national news outlets.   The parties are part of what is now a two-thirds supermajority willing to amend the country's pacifist constitution, thereby strengthening its military role on the global stage -- a longtime Abe goal.   Even before the former prime minister's murder, the LDP and Komeito were expected to cement their majority, though the final number of seats will be scrutinised for signs of whether the attack bolstered support for them.   "I think it is significant we were able to complete the elections," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told NHK, adding he wants to tackle the pandemic, Ukraine-related issues and inflation.   Kishida had insisted the election proceed despite the assassination, saying "we must never allow violence to suppress speech."   Conceding defeat, Kenta Izumi, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, which was projected to have lost several seats, said it was clear "voters did not want to switch from the LDP and entrust us with running the government," according to Kyodo News.   Despite the murder, turnout for the election remained low at only 52 percent, national outlets reported.   Abe was gunned down at close range on Friday in the western region of Nara, and died of blood loss at a local hospital. His body was brought to his family home in Tokyo on Saturday.   The assassination rattled the nation and sent shockwaves around the world, prompting an outpouring of sympathy even from nations with which the hawkish Abe had sometimes difficult relations, such as China and South Korea.   The man accused of his murder, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is in custody and has told investigators he targeted Abe because he believed the politician was linked to an unnamed organisation.   Local media have described the organisation as religious and said Yamagami's family had suffered financial trouble as a result of his mother's donations to the group.   He also reportedly visited the western region of Okayama on Thursday with the intent of killing Abe at a different event, but backed out because participants had to submit their names and addresses.   Additionally, Yamagami admitted to police to test-firing guns at a facility connected to the religious group beforehand, according to media.   - 'No bigger regret' -   With little violent crime and tough gun laws, security at Japanese campaign events can be relaxed, though in the wake of Abe's murder, measures were beefed up for Kishida's remaining appearances.   Security at polling stations on Sunday remained normal, however, with 79-year-old Takao Sueki saying he was voting with an eye on international instability, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine.   "Watching the world now, I think every day about how Japan will manage with the situation," he told AFP.   "This is a democratic country and I despise the use of violence to eliminate someone," he added when asked about Abe's murder.   "I strongly believe that if people have disagreements, they should dispute them with dialogue."   Police have promised a "thorough investigation" into what the head of the Nara regional police called "problems with guarding and safety measures" for Abe.   "In all the years since I became a police officer in 1995... there is no greater remorse, no bigger regret than this," chief Tomoaki Onizuka tearfully told reporters on Saturday evening.   - Wake, funeral planned -   Abe's office told AFP that a wake would be held on Monday night, with a funeral for family and close friends only on Tuesday. Local media said both were expected to be held at Tokyo's Zojoji Temple.   US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Asia for meetings, arrived in Tokyo on Monday to see Kishida and offer condolences in person.   Abe was the scion of a political family and became the country's youngest post-war prime minister when he took power for the first time in 2006, aged 52.   His hawkish, nationalist views were divisive, particularly his desire to reform Japan's pacifist constitution to recognise the country's military, and he weathered a series of scandals, including allegations of cronyism.   But he was lauded by others for his economic strategy, dubbed "Abenomics," and his efforts to put Japan firmly on the world stage, including by cultivating close ties with Biden's predecessor Donald Trump.   Kishida, 64, was once described as among Abe's favoured successors, and holds a solid majority in parliament with Komeito.   But he faces significant policy headwinds, including rising prices and energy shortages, particularly after an early summer heatwave that led to a power crunch.   Kishida is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in the coming months. Source: AFP/BSS AH

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday accused arch-foe Israel of acting as a “mercenary” for the US in carrying out the assassination of Tehran’s top nuclear scientist the day before. “Once again, the wicked hands of the global arrogance, with the usurper Zionist regime as the mercenary, were stained with the blood of a son of this nation,” Rouhani said in a statement on his official website, referring to the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Iran generally uses the term “global arrogance” to refer to the United States. Source: AFP/BSS AH