US embassy denounces Tunisian sentences

The US Embassy in Tunisia has said it is "deeply troubled" that the 20 people convicted of  attacking the embassy last year only received suspended sentences. Around 2000 people, mainly religious conservatives, attacked the compound on September 14, 2012, destroying cars, property, burning the American flag and a nearby American school, in response to a movie that they claimed mocked Prophet Mohammed. On Tuesday, the court gave 20 defendants two-year suspended sentences for the rioting. "We are deeply troubled by reports of suspended sentences," the embassy said.  "The verdicts do not correspond appropriately to the extent and severity of the damage and violence that took place." The embassy accused the government of tolerating militants who turn to violence. The Tunisian Observatory for the Independence of the Judiciary (OTIM) rejected the embassy's claims and issued a counter-statement in which affirmed the importance of respecting the independence of Tunisia's judiciary. The observatory claimed that under international law, foreign states cannot interfere in the judicial affairs of another country.