Policemen jailed over football fan’s death

Twelve Tunisian policemen have been jailed for two years over the death of a football fan.

Nineteen-year-old Omar Laabidi drowned in a stream in 2018 while trying to escape as the police chased a group of fans to the edge of the stream.

Laabidi is reported to have screamed that he could not swim before jumping into the water to escape the police. Laabidi’s dead body was found the following day.

Witnesses say they had heard officers shout at him “you just have to learn how to swim”, which has since become a rallying cry on social media with the hashtag #ApprendsÀNager used by people seeking justice for police abuses.

The victim’s family has said they will appeal against the sentence, calling the conviction for manslaughter a “charade of justice”.