Tunisia extends state of emergency by another month

Tunisia has again extended the state of emergency in the country for another month since it was imposed last year after the November 24 suicide attack on a bus carrying presidential security guards that killed 12 people in the capital Tunis.

Tunisia extends state of emergency by a monthhttps://t.co/b3SNTTgljJ pic.twitter.com/GYOa5mS6MF

— Ahram Online (@ahramonline) June 20, 2016

The presidency announced in a statement on Monday that “the president Beji Caid Essebsi after consultation with the prime minister and the president of the People’s Representatives Assembly proclaims again the state of emergency throughout the territory for a month from June 21, 2016.”

The state of emergency has been renewed on multiple occasions with the last one in March which was imposed for three months.

#Tunisia extends state of emergency for further three months https://t.co/5LmMqlDNXX pic.twitter.com/BkfLwyjSsn

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) March 23, 2016

This security measure allows authorities to ban strikes and demonstrations, temporarily close theaters and pubs and to “take all measures to ensure the control of the press and publications of all kinds,” the statement added.

Tunisia was hit in 2015 by three major attacks claimed by IS. Besides the attack against the presidential guard, 59 tourists and a policeman were killed in March at the Bardo Museum, an attack in June on a beach and then a hotel near Sousse in the eastern part of the country.

On March 7, dozens of jihadists attacked security installations in Ben Guerdane, a town on the border with Libya.

Tunisian security forces have stepped up raids arresting hundreds of people connected to the Islamist group IS.