[6] He spoke out against a 2008 clampdown on miners, and was a noted political critic of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the strongman Tunisian leader in office for 23 years, whose 2011 self-exile to Saudi Arabia was the first tangible result of the Arab Spring uprisings.

[7] and was a strong critic of the supporters of fundamentalist Islam, sometimes referred to as Salafists, whose confrontational tactics since the change of government in 2011 have prevented some plays and music concerts from being held in Tunisian cities.

[citation needed] On 6 February 2013, as Belaïd was leaving his house in the neighborhood of El Menzah 6, Tunis, he was shot four times in the head and chest by Kamel Gaghgadhi,[9] who later fled with an accomplice on a motorbike.

[1] Following news of his death, police used tear gas to disperse thousands of people demonstrating in front of the Interior ministry in Tunis.

[3][10] The interim President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki cut short an overseas trip to Cairo as a result of the protests and assassination.

[15] On 2 October, Chokri Belaid defence committee spokesman Tayeb Oqaili claimed that, according to official documents, Abdulhakim Belhadj was involved in the killings of both Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, pointing to links between the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Ansar al Sharia and the Ennahda Movement.

"[10] In a televised address, Jebali announced the formation of a caretaker government composed of technocrats, which would rule the country until a new election is held.

[6] The Islamist political party Ennahda issued a statement calling the attack a "heinous crime" that targeted the "security and stability of Tunisia".