Tunisia president appeals for unity

Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki called  on Tunisians to comply with the laws that regulate demonstrations and emergency laws, and to avoid any situation which would repeat the tragedy of Fahmi Awni, who died after he was injured in clashes which broke out in many Tunisian governorates during the beginning of this week. Marzouki urged to uphold national unity to preserve lives and protect  interests and not to fall into the trap of fighting no matter what their differences are. According to a statement by the Tunisian presidency, Marzouki contacted Thursday the young man's family, Fahmi Awni, who was killed during clashes with security forces in the city of Sousse. The President expressed his condolences to the family, thanking them for their stance to reject the politicisation of the tragic incident, according to the statement. The statement went on to say that the President expressed sorrow "for every drop of Tunisian blood that is shed in vain". The Tunisian interior ministry confirmed that the young man died of  his wounds following an attack by a group to which he belonged, on the headquarters of the National Security Centre in Sousse on Tuesday June 12. According to the ministry, security agents from the centre fought the attackers "using legal means" following several verbal warnings before resorting to tear gas. The attackers did not retreat, so the security agents fired shots in the air, then on the ground to avoid injuries, said the interior ministry. Initial investigations of the incident allege  that the injury was the result of a ricochet bullet which rebounded from the ground. Violent clashes have been taking place in Tunisia since the beginning of the week, following an art exhibition in the Marsa district of Tunis which Islamists claim was provocative and offensive to Islam, which  resulted in the death of one person  with more than 100 wounded.