The defence committee of civil parties in the case of martyrs Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi said that it will boycott the court hearing on March 8, in case journalists are banned from covering it. The 5th Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance decided, Tuesday, to postpone the hearing of the case of the assassination of Chokri Belaid to March 8, at the request of lawyer Slah Barakati who informed the court that he will represent Mohamed Amin Guesmi. In a statement on Wednesday, the defence committee clarified that its decision applies to all future hearings related to the cases of the two martyrs, stressing the need that the trial should take place openly in public. According to the committee, continuing to isolate the trial from public opinion by preventing media coverage and emptying the courtroom of the audience constitutes a violation of one of the attributes of a fair trial. The Tunis Court of First Instance began hearings of the accused in this case on February 6, coinciding with t he 11th anniversary of the assassination of the secretary general of the Unified Democratic Patriots Party (PPDU), Chokri Belaid. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse