Tunisia president calls for return of death penalty following brutal killing

Human rights campaigners warn reinstating capital punishment would be a huge step backwards', as attack on young woman reignites debate

The brutal killing of a young woman has reignited a debate in Tunisia over capital punishment, with the country's president suggesting an end to a decades-old moratorium on the death penalty.

President Kais Saied told a meeting of the country's national security council on Monday that murder deserves the death penalty" and urged the security forces to redouble their efforts in countering what he characterised as a nationwide increase in crime.