After convening a meeting with Justice Minister Noureddin B’Hiri, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Wednesday officially pardoned an estimated 1,300 prisoners while marking the Country’s national day. The country was marking its 55th anniversary since the proclamation of the republic’s independence. Speaking to a private radio Shems, B’Hiri said that among the majority of those pardoned by the state included minors, school going children and university students.

However, in an earlier report recorded in the national assembly, Marzouki issued a strong warning to the people of Tunisia stating that it could face a new revolution unless genuine democracy prevailed in the country. He said this following the uprising that ousted strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. ”The people who elected you will not accept an artificial democracy, otherwise they could push for a new revolution,” he said.