Man dressed in police uniform stood on Tunisian activist’s neck in chilling attempt to ‘silence’ him

A prominent LGBT+ rights activist in Tunisia was allegedly beaten and robbed by two men – one of whom he says was dressed in police uniform.

Badr Baabou – a human rights activist and head of the Tunisian Association for Justice and Equality, or Damj – was attacked by two men in Tunis, the nation’s capital, as he was on his way home on 21 October.

Baabou claimed he was violently beaten, robbed and taunted. The assault left the activist with a concussion and severe injuries to his neck, rib cage, eye and face, a medical report seen by Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

The LGBT+ rights activist claims one of his assailants identified himself as “police” before telling a bystander that the attack was “penalty for those who insult the police and file complaints against us”.

Baabou and Damj have filed several complaints against the police on behalf of LGBT+ Tunisians who had been assaulted by law enforcement since the organisation was founded in 2005.