Tunisian president pardons 21 jailed Islamic terrorists

Zine El Abidine Ben AliTunis, Paris - On the 21st anniversary of his taking power, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has pardoned the last members of the banned Tunisian Islamic group Ennahdha still in prison, a judicial source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa on Wednesday.

According to the source, 21 leaders and activists of the Islamic movement, including the former head of the group, who was known as Sadok Chourou, received a "conditional release" from jail.

Several members of the group, including Chourou, were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1992 for terrorist activities.

In 1991, the group attempted to overthrow the government, assassinate Ben Ali and establish an Islamic state in Tunisia.

Ben Ali became president of Tunisia on November 7, 1987, after having his predecessor, Habib Bourguiba, declared medically unfit to serve in the post. (dpa)

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