TUNIS, Tunisia, July 18 (UPI) -- Six policemen were wounded during the weekend in clashes with extremists in Tunisia, the country's Interior Ministry said in a statement.
A 14-year-old boy was reportedly killed by police trying to break up protests in Sidi Bouzid, Bloomberg News reports. The central city was the site of the first clashes in the Tunisia revolution that brought down the government of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali after more than 23 years in power.
The Interior Ministry in a faxed statement to the news agency blamed "extremists political parties" for trying to disrupt national elections set for October. The same extremists were accused of setting fire to police stations across the country. Six officers were injured during clashes with extremists north of Tunis, the news agency adds.
Demonstrators last week expressed frustration with interim Prime Minister Baji Caid Essebsi. They want him to step down.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay arrived in the country last week to open the first offices for her agency in Tunisia. She called on authorities to usher in a democratic government that upholds human rights laws.
Six members of the European Parliament are to visit Tunisia this week to assess human rights conditions for those fleeing the war in Libya.
