Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation (2022) - full transcript

"THE GARDENS OF CARTHAGE" IS
A NEIGHBOURHOOD IN THE NORTH OF TUNIS

FIRST BUILT FOR DIGNITARIES
OF THE OLD REGIME

IT WAS MEANT TO BECOME A MODERN,
ENTERPRISING AND RICH CITY

IN DECEMBER 2010, AN IMMOLATION
SET OFF THE TUNISIAN REVOLUTION

AND THE FALL OF BEN ALI

CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
CEASED IMMEDIATELY

NOW, CONSTRUCTION WORKS
ARE RESUMING LITTLE BY LITTLE

Get out.

Disperse everyone.

Get lost!

Did he have a family?



I think he has two children,
but they're in Europe.

He didn't have issues
with the workers?

No...

Anyone he insulted or owes money to?

No, nothing at all.
Nothing like that.

He was self-sufficient,

and he feared God.

He wasn't in any trouble.

He never mentioned immolation
or suicide?

No, never.

No, never. He barely ever left
the building he guarded.

He was a pious man.
He couldn't have killed himself.

When we heard the news...
We couldn't believe it.

It is shocking.



May God forgive him.

How useful bludgeons are!

It's just to fight off the stray dogs

that hang around at night.

Other than that,
building sites are always quiet.

Did you see a man

you aren't used to seeing recently?

No, nobody comes here...

There are only the workers
who come in the morning

and leave in the afternoon.

What about Gadour?

Did he go away?
To return to his native village?

No. He never went any further
than the café to get a cup of tea.

Or he would get bread and harissa.

Then he'd come back.
This was his sanctuary.

- His sanctuary?
- Yes, his home.

- Take this back.
- Thank you.

May God help you.

Don't worry about it.

The guy was depressed.
He just killed himself.

Are there tensions between
Tunisian and sub-Saharan workers?

Rarely.

Just drunken disputes.
That's all.

Nothing serious.

So”?

The workers don't think
he could have killed himself.

Do you think he set fire to himself?

A man his age...

Why self-immolate out of public view

unlike the others, doing it in town
or in front of everyone?

Might as well have hung himself.

If it's a suicide,
someone must have manipulated him.

Then it must have been filmed.
It'll end up on social media.

Anyway, he was as unpleasant as ever.

Bouhlel?
You know him... He loves you!

No, he's furious.
The Commission has summoned him.

They want to interrogate him.

Why don't you take some time off?
Until this blows over.

Forget about it, Batal.

I'm not going anywhere.

Do you want
to come and see the girls?

- No, some other time.
- See you tomorrow.

I hope your day wasn't too tiring.

It was OK.

It's going to stick.

Hello.

Yes, how are you?

Can you deliver some food to me?

Don't forget to eat.

You're welcome, Mr. Jilani.

Good evening.

We don't see you here anymore.
Don't you pray?

I do pray, but I haven't had time
to come because of work.

What about the watchman
who set himself on fire?

We're working on it.

It's unclear.
We don't think he was alone.

Sort it out quickly.

If it gets out, the Commission
will make him a martyr.

Bouhlel has been summoned,
by the way.

That hungry man...

We'll protect him.

And Fatma?

What about Fatma?
She's on our side.

The thing about her dad can't...

Don't get dragged in.

If you feel like things
are getting too hot for you...

Get away.

Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

ASHKAL

He used gasoline
to set himself on fire.

But there is no trace of bruising.
Strange.

What do you mean?

People who are burning always
struggle and bump into things.

It's instinctive.

It's to get away from the pain.

But he stayed still,
as if he has surrendered to the fire.

Was he drugged?

No traces of drugs in his blood.

And no traces of fabric on his skin.

- Yes, his clothes were next to him.
- What else?

I can't say,
because of the state of the body.

It was a suicide, nothing more.

Listen.
You don't need to come with me.

Why?

I know how to talk to Bouhlel.
We'll be able to close the case.

How long are you going to hide me, Batal?

Until the matter
with the Commission is over.

Hi, guys.

All right.

Thank you.

Her name was Hajer Mahjoub.

She was 18.

Same story. Found naked.
Burned alive with gasoline.

There was also a man's jacket
next to her body.

- Let's go and see her body.
- We can't.

- Why?
- She's already been buried.

What?

Bouhlel took her body to Ben Younés.

A real-estate developer.

Hajer was one of his maids.

Why did no one tell us?

Forensics will send us a report
and photos.

Do you think that's fucking normal?

Don't talk to him.

- You could have let us know.
- Bugger off.

This is my neighbourhood.

I carried out an investigation
before I let you know.

And?

We're looking for two workers

who disappeared
the night of the murder.

We know they got drunk
and raped the girl.

Then they burned her
so as to leave no proof behind.

The coroner said
there were no signs of rape or assault.

Do you know if she was seeing anyone?

A local worker, for instance?

You know, at that age...
kids are very secretive.

She wasn't allowed
to have people over.

She didn't even see the gardener,
my husband takes care of that.

She has left a huge vacuum...

Luckily Fanta still works here.

Hajer was free to do as she pleased.

We didn't follow her around.

Do you have children?

Our eldest daughter lives in Paris.

Our son Younés is finishing
high school.

He spends a lot of time alone
in his room.

He has been deeply affected.

If she didn't go out or see anyone...

Did she seem depressed?

We never sensed she was depressed.

Quite the opposite,
she seemed happy with us.

We found this watchman
burned to death in the neighbourhood.

Did you know him?

Maybe he knew Hajer?

I sort of knew him.

I meant to buy the building he kept.

But I don't think he knew Hajer, no.

I suppose this incident isn't good
for your business.

Is that why
you kept his death a secret?

Batal? Listen.

This is no way of working.

It's not proper.

This man is boosting the economy here

and you come to accuse him like that?

Why did you hide this from us?

What's your problem?

The two cases are not connected.

When we catch the suspects,
they'll admit they raped and killed her.

The watchman committed suicide!

Two immolations, same area,
and less than a week.

There's no connection?

Admit it. He's giving you money.

What is your problem?
You think you can talk to me like that?

Did you hear that, Batal?

Her father wants to put us all in jail.

And you've accepted
to work with this bitch?

You know what?

- You and your father can get fucked.
- That's enough!

What are you playing at?

What am I playing at?

Did you hear him?

He's covering for Ben Younés!

OK. So what?

In the name of God Almighty.

Welcome, everyone.

Let's open the first session

of the "Truth and Dignity" Commission.

In the coming months,

we will listen to the victims and
the families of the murdered innocents,

and we will identify the abuses
of the police and the state

with the aim of bringing as many cases
as possible to justice

so that the culprits may be judged,

whether they have fled
or are still in office.

It is time to make up for the past

and to reconcile citizens
with our country.

I will now yield the floor
to Mr. Lotfi Ayed,

one of the founding members
of the Commission.

Welcome.

After years of efforts and struggles,

the public hearings are open at last.

I am honoured to yield the floor

to our first witness,

journalist and activist,
Mohammed Jbeli.

Hello.

What we experienced
under the dictatorship

is very painful for me to express.

The injustice and oppression...

Give me a kiss.

Hi.

Ah!

You're here!

I wanted to come and see you.

It's an important day
for our country,

that couldn't be reconstructed

without uncovering the atrocities
committed during these dark years,

such as arbitrary imprisonment,
abductions...

Is that Fatma's father?

Yes.

What a shitstorm.

The country needed it.

The culprits have to pay.

We didn't do what we wanted to.

We were following orders.

I saw one of the accounts earlier.

Interrogators gouged a kid's eye out...

Not in front of the kid!

It may be time for you
to get a new job.

Smaller.

Even more.

Fatma, that's not a face.
We can't work with that.

Shall we print it and try like this?

You never know.

What do you think?

You want to print it like this?

Yes.

GADOUR NAFTI

HAJER MAHJOUB

67 YEARS OLD. WATCHMAN.

And Hajer?

18 YEARS OLD.
MAID FOR THE BEN YOUNÈS.

It's no use.
They won't say anything else to them.

We need to lock these men up,
Mr. Jilani!

You have 15 minutes.

They will be tried tomorrow.

So under the influence of alcohol,
you grabbed the girl.

She resisted, you killed her,
and then set her on fire?

I swear we didn't do anything.
We didn't go near her.

We just wanted to help her.

Help her... How?

We were drinking in the wasteland.

We saw two people arrive from afar.

We thought they were just
looking for a quiet place to...

- You know...
- And then what?

She took her clothes off...

That's when we saw the fire.

It was as if the man who was with her...

gave her fire.

Gave her fire?

How so?
With a lighter or a candle?

With his hand.

With his hand?
Is that the best lie you can think of?

I swear,
he gave her fire with his hand.

Go on.

When the girl started burning...

She didn't move.
She didn't scream.

She didn't struggle.

She was calm.

Then, I took my jacket off
to put out the fire on her,

but I didn't manage it.

And the man?

The man who was with her?

He disappeared.

Disappeared? Are you fucking with us?

Did he look like this?

- We didn't see his face.
- Look again.

It was too dark.

We didn't do anything.

I swear.
They're trying to pin this on us.

Shut up!
You'll make us cry.

Your 15 minutes are up.

Why didn't he say...
"Set her on fire"?

He said, "He gave her fire".

Stop it. They were talking nonsense.

Does he burn his hand
and pass on the flame with it?

What is it? Witchcraft?

The guy must have doused her
with gasoline

and thrown something burning on her.
If he even exists...

I can feel they're not lying.

And they're talking about the man I saw.

This is sheer madness.

What do I tell Jilani?
We're after a little-eyed sorcerer?

Who can "give fire" with his hand?

Hajer died like the watchman.

Naked and without struggling.

Hold on, it's Jilani.

Yes.

We don't think it was them.

Bouhlel is wrong.

They claim there was another man
with the victim.

He may be the one we're looking for.

OK. We'll comb through the area.

Stop.

Good evening.

Get up!

What can we do for you?

- What are you doing here?
- We work here. We're keeping watch.

- On the building site?
- Yes.

- Is everything going OK?
- Yes, fine.

- Nothing unusual?
- No, thank the Lord.

- May God help you.
- Thank you, brother. You too.

Thank you.

- Hello.
- Hello.

Have you seen this man around here?

No, not at all.

Thank you.

Have a good day.

Hello.

Have you seen this man?

No.

Thank you, goodbye.

Hajer was there
when I got to the Ben Younés'.

She showed me the ropes.

I didn't know anyone when I arrived.

If you know something,
you have to tell me.

I might lose my job.

I'll keep it between you and me.

Hajer was very strange.

She was always lost in thought.

I noticed burns
on her arms and her stomach.

She said it was nothing.

She was seen with a man
on the night she died.

Do you know
if she was seeing anyone?

There was a man...

He sometimes came
to pick her up at night.

She would go to meet him.

He'd stand far away,
in the wasteland, and wait for her.

Does he look like this?

I've never seen his face.

I thought he was a local worker.

- She seemed...
- In love?

Fascinated, I'd say.

Did she ever speak of him?

No, she was very secretive
about their relationship.

Do you know
where they'd go together?

To one of the empty buildings
in the area.

The one where the watchman
self-immolated?

I don't know.
There are so many.

This is Hajer's phone.
She gave it to me before she died.

Mine was broken.

I thought you should see her messages.

Get a fire extinguisher!

Lassaad?

Lassaad?

- Where is it?
- Top floor.

The first victim is a man
in his twenties.

He and Lassaad were found
naked and burned...

Like the watchman and Hajer.

I hope I can tell you more
after the autopsy.

Thank you.

Get everyone out.

Let's secure the building

and wait for more orders.

Great work!

One less cop.

Your father will be pleased.

Shut up!

Well done!

Is now a good time for this?
Stop making a fuss!

Calm down.

Sweep the building.

Look around the building site.
Whoever did this is close by.

Think you're clever, don't you?

In this series of murders,

one of the victims
is a police officer.

All authorities have been called upon
to uncover the truth,

and their efforts are focused
on a terrorist lead.

It's another blow for the police

as the Commission has just published

a first list of presumed culprits
among police forces.

These cases have been passed on
to the Home Secretary

who hasn't commented yet.

How are you?

I tried to call many times.

I was close by,
I wanted to see you.

I have to close up.
I don't have time.

Want me to wait for you?

Honestly...

I don't want us to be seen together.

What do you mean?

With everything that's going on...

I don't want to be seen with a cop.

No of fence.

Things are a mess,
what with Lassaad's death.

The police inspectorate
could respect that.

Things need to change.

These immolations prove it.

All right, we're working on it!

Your information
about Bouhlel was valuable.

He is indeed involved in corruption.

He enables the sale of public property.

OK. What do you want?

My bosses want to overthrow Jilani.

- That's not what we had agreed.
- It's enough.

After everything he's done...

Do you know what the risks are for me?

Do you know what can happen to you
if you don't talk?

Get a grip, Batal.
Remember who you were.

It's your only way out.

You know it.

In response to the terrorist threat

responsible for the wave of immolations,

The government is calling for
"unanimous support for police forces"

and has decided to adjourn
the Commission for Truth and Dignity,

granting police unions
what they petitioned for.

Following this decision,
several clashes have broken out

between citizens and police forces.

- What do you need?
- A dozen eggs.

Get a fire extinguisher!

The car's registration papers burned up,

but we found his clothes
next to the car.

His phone, too. Here.

What do we know about him?

Adel Mzoughi, 42.
He was an English teacher.

He led a quiet life.
All his neighbours say so.

This way!

What is that?

Find out whose ID this is.

Guys! There's another one here!

The immolation cases are all connected.

The victims' phones are full of videos
of immolations.

All sent from the same phone.

But it's a private number.

I am sure it's the man seen with Hajer
the night she died.

What, then?

Are we looking for a lunatic
who sets people on fire?

He doesn't set them on fire.

He manipulates them into doing it.

We found Hajer
and the watchman's ID cards.

And the ID of the man
we found near Lassaad.

If we look,
we'll find the teacher's ID.

And?

Does he want to make martyrs of them?

- Is this actually a terrorist unit?
- I don't think so.

If it isn't terrorism, is it political?

No. There would have been demands.

We must track the number
sending the videos.

I've asked the anti-terrorist service
for help...

They said no.

Because I'm the one who asked.

OK.

Lower your flashlight!

Batal, he's down there!

No name, no fingerprint.

Even his phone burned.

We have nothing on him...
except that he is about 30.

But at least we got him.

If it were up to me, I'd unplug him.

Excuse me, doctor.

- Do you think he can recover?
- His body has suffered serious harm.

This isn't his first time
self-immolating.

Are you sure?

We have found several scars
from old burns.

However,
there was no trace of fuel on his body.

How did he burn without gasoline?

No idea.

That was Jilani.

He wants a report.
He's organizing a press conference.

We'll share the spotlight
with the Anti-Terrorist Brigade.

We also have this room,
in a more traditional style.

It is different to the other ones
I have shown you.

Everything here is in an Arabic style.

The chairs,
columns, mouldings...

the decoration on the ceiling.

- Mummy, can we buy it?
- I hope so, honey.

- Do you like it?
- Yes, it's very elegant.

I'm glad you like it.

Believe me,
if these weren't such hard times,

we wouldn't be selling it.

- How many chairs?
- 600.

There's the ground floor,
and the floor above too.

Feel free to go upstairs and see.

It's so clean!

- Do you have your own waiters?
- Yes, 24 waiters.

The whole staff. Waiters,
but also maitres d'hotel, managers...

Two hostesses, doormen...

Is there a lift?

Of course. For elderly women
and disabled people.

So everyone can enjoy the first floor.

- Is there a parking lot?
- Yes.

- What do you think, brother-in-law?
- It's nice.

Are you OK, Lilia?

I hope you can buy it,
if you like it.

Are you all right, Madam?

A glass of water, quick!

Breathe properly.

She has your temperament.

I hope you'll have one, one day.

She looks like her mother.

I'm off.

- Stay a while longer.
- No, no.

- Hello.
- Hello.

We didn't think he would,
but he's improving quickly.

He might make it.

- Has he said anything?
- No, he hasn't spoken.

After a shock like that...

They have to learn everything again.

If he wakes up,
it'll be a new life for him.

- Goodbye.
- Goodbye.

The police are criticized
by the Commission.

The police have made a great effort
since the Revolution.

The proof is that we have caught
a dangerous terrorist

who burns the police and the citizens.

This is not the subject!

We know the police union
has been pressuring the government

to freeze the Commission.

We cannot talk about
transitional justice

without judging the officers
who committed the abuses.

If nothing changes,
self-immolations won't stop.

Stop making everything about terrorism!

Thank you, but the case is on hold.

Jilani is being praised by the media
since your suspect was arrested.

He is untouchable, for now.

So what?

You need to sit tight.

It's not over.

You're with us now.

Take care, Batal.

There are more archives upstairs!

- What's going on?
- Bugger off!

What are you doing?

Why are you dragging your feet?

Are you sleepy?

Let's zip your coat up.

- Who's going to tell you a story?
- Nobody.

Traitor!

We're colleagues!

Not in front of my daughter!