• A general view of the opening session of Tunisia's constitutional assembly in Tunis on November 22, 2011.
    © 2011 Reuters
    Tunisia: Dismantle Repressive Ben-Ali-Era Laws

    Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly should urgently revise laws to ensure freedom of speech and the independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Legal reform in those two areas is key to safeguarding the human rights of all Tunisians, Human Rights Watch said.

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  • Human Rights in Tunisia

    Since ousting its autocratic president in January 2011, Tunisia has opened political space and held relatively free and fair elections. It advanced human rights by adopting a pluralist election law, joining the International Criminal Court and removing almost all its reservations on accepting international standards on women’s rights. It has freed media outlets from draconian restrictions and allowed people to create and join political parties and to demonstrate peacefully. However, surviving repressive provisions in the press and penal codes are still used at times in political trials and reforms to create an independent judiciary are moving too slowly.

Reports

Tunisia

  • Tunisia: “Persepolis” Trial a Setback for Free Expression
    Jan 25, 2012

    The trial of a television director on morality charges for airing a controversial animated film is a disturbing turn for the nascent Tunisian democracy. On January 23, 2012, a Tunis court announced that Nabil Karoui, director of Nessma TV, will go on trial on April 19 for airing the French animated movie “Persepolis.”

  • Tunisia: Dismantle Repressive Ben-Ali-Era Laws
    Dec 17, 2011

    Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly should urgently revise laws to ensure freedom of speech and the independence of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Legal reform in those two areas is key to safeguarding the human rights of all Tunisians, Human Rights Watch said.

  • Tunisia: Fundamentalists Disrupting College Campuses
    Dec 9, 2011
    The Tunisian authorities should protect individual and academic freedoms from acts of violence and other threats by religiously motivated groups acting on university campuses. Both the university authorities and the state security forces will need to cooperate to protect the rights to security and education of students and faculty.
  • Letter to Tunisian President on the Extradition of Former Libyan Prime Minister
    Nov 11, 2011
    Human Rights Watch writes to you as a matter of urgency to ask that you decline ordering the extradition to Libya of Mr. Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, the former Libyan prime minister, currently in custody in Tunisia.
  • Tunisia: Don’t Extradite Former Prime Minister to Libya
    Nov 9, 2011

    Tunisia should halt plans to extradite Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, the former Libyan prime minister, to Libya, where at present he will be at a real risk of torture.

  • Political Forces in Tunisia and the Balancing of Rights
    Nov 3, 2011

     

    The parties of both the minority and the majority must not forget that the revolution in Tunisia carried within it a desire for freedom, dignity, and justice.

  • Tunisia: Affirm Human Rights in New Constitution
    Oct 19, 2011
    Many parties competing in Tunisia’s election for a constituent assembly on October 23, 2011, believe that basic freedoms should be protected, but they disagree about circumstances under which freedoms could be limited, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper issued today. The paper was prepared to help voters make decisions based on the parties’ stances on basic human rights and freedoms.
  • Pathways and Pitfalls for Tunisia’s New Constituent Assembly
    Oct 17, 2011

    Over the nine months since the ouster of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s human rights situation has improved somewhat as the three interim transition governments have prepared the ground for democratic change. However, huge challenges still lie ahead for the constituent assembly that will rewrite the constitution, appoint a new interim government and exercise legislative power.

  • Tunisia: Drop Criminal Investigation of TV Station for Airing Persepolis
    Oct 13, 2011
    Tunisia’s interim government should drop its criminal investigation of a TV station for “defaming” Islam over the airing of a controversial film. The interim authorities should respect free expression and approve pending amendments to abolish the “defaming of religion” law.
  • Tunisia on Board with Women’s Rights
    Sep 22, 2011

    Just a few months later, in April 2011, Tunisia’s electoral commission adopted a gender parity law that requires each party to run an equal number of male and female candidates in the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections, slated for October 23.The assembly will have the critically important task of re-writing Tunisia’s next constitution. 

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