A week after the death of a photojournalist in violent clashes in Tunisia, IPI urges the authorities to investigate.

Lucas Mebrouk Dolega, 32, who worked for European Press Photo Agency (EPA) was struck on Friday 14 January by a police tear-gas canister between his temple and his left eye. Witnesses claim he was deliberately targeted attack by Tunisian police.

“It was his first day in Tunis, he had just arrived after being blocked at the airport,” Cengiz Seren, EPA editor-in-chief, told IPI.

At around 2.15 pm local time, while he was covering the demonstrations in front of the Interior Ministry building in Tunis, he was suddenly struck by a 20-centimeter-long gas canister.

“It should be used in empty spaces and from an upwards angle,” Seren said. “The policeman, instead, fired it horizontally from a very close distance, less than 20 meters, so it was still in acceleration.”

At least four colleagues and friends of Lucas, who were with him and witnessed the scene, immediately rushed him to the hospital, according to Seren. The doctors operated on him later in the afternoon. His left eye was declared lost, while head injuries were under constant monitoring. “Then the situation worsened, and the doctors were forced to put him into an induced coma,” Seren said.

Dolega died on Monday because of the head injuries he had suffered.

“Even if I fear that those directly responsible will not be found, we intend to ask for an explanation from the police as a whole,” Seren said. “Especially now that they claim to be a government of national unity, Tunisian institutions must put the police’s conduct under question.”

He pointed to reports that at least 80 people were killed by police during the unrest, which led to the departure of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on the day on which Dolega was shot.

“A general tendency of terrorizing people was not limited to the Dolega incident,” Seren said. “They should acknowledge that this type of device is not made for this purpose. It was used wrongly and with a bad intent. It’s a terrible tragedy that strikes us deeply.”

IPI Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills said: “It is vital that the Tunisian authorities investigate the deaths of dozens of reportedly unarmed protestors – and of photojournalist Lucas Mebrouk Dolega. Although the former president of Tunisia has fled, and a government of national unity has been formed, the authorities should not sweep these deaths under the table.”