A Tunisian court has sentenced eight defendants to death for the 2013 assassination of leftist opposition leader Mohamed Brahmi.
The defendants were found guilty of charges including “attempting to change the state’s nature” and “inciting armed conflict”.
Three of the defendants received additional death sentences for “deliberate participation in premeditated murder.”
A ninth defendant, who is currently on the run, was sentenced to five years in prison for “failing to report terrorist crimes to the authorities”.
Brahmi’s assassination, which occurred outside his home on July 25, 2013, sparked widespread protests and demonstrations across Tunisia.
His killing, along with that of another prominent leftist figure, Chokri Belaid, led to increased pressure on the Islamist-inspired government dominated by Ennahdha at the time.
Tunisia has been grappling with Islamist radicalism and security threats since the 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Despite progress in combating violence, the country remains under a state of emergency.
