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Evicted from Their Office, Al Jazeera Works from a Front Yard in Tunisia

Authorities Arbitrarily Target Media and Critics

I first met Lotfi Hajji some 15 years ago, after Tunisian authorities under President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali had refused a request by Al Jazeera, the Qatar-funded pan-Arab television station, to accredit the Tunisian journalist as their local…
Al Jazeera correspondent Lotfi Hajji reporting from Tunis after Tunisian authorities evicted the pan-Arab television network from its offices, November 5, 2021. 
News

Humor Comes at a Price in Morocco and Tunisia

Two Women Face Justice for Covid-19 Jokes

It all started with harmless jokes. But because they chose humor to push back against the Coronavirus and lockdown-generated anxiety, a young Moroccan woman is now in prison, and a Tunisian woman could soon share her fate. In Morocco, the story…
People shop in the Central Market of Tunis during the first days of Ramadan, Tunis, Tunisia April 28, 2020.
News

A Hopeful Speech, but Will Tunisia’s President Deliver?

Kais Saied Should Back Words with Action on Key Rights Issues

In his inaugural speech on October 23, Tunisia’s new president, Kais Saied, pledged to “honor Tunisia’s obligations under international law.” This was an unexpected turn, given his hostility towards human rights treaties during his…
Kais Saied during the sworn ceremony in Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia on October 23, 2019.
News

Victim Lands Behind Bars in Tunisia

End ‘Sodomy’ Prosecutions, Forced Anal Examinations

  Correction/Clarification: Contrary to what Human Rights Watch initially reported, the authorities arrested and prosecuted the alleged assailants along with A.F., the complainant. The court sentenced all three on February 11…
© 2018 Human Rights Watch
News

Politicians Dash Hopes for Justice in Tunisia

Time is running out for justice in Tunisia. The mandate of the Truth and Dignity Commission, set up in 2014 to investigate serious human rights violations of the past, is under threat and could be terminated at the end of May…
Instance de Vérité et Dignité
News

Tunisian Police Shut Down Dissent

LGBT and Secular Protestors Targeted

When Tunisian police shut down a planned demonstration on January 27, they claimed they did it for the protesters’ safety. “We had information that they were going to be targeted,” said an interior ministry spokesperson, according to…
Tunisian and rainbow flags were raised at a march against terrorism during the World Social Forum in Tunis, March 2015.
News

Beginning of End for Forced Anal Exams

Tunisia and Kenya Move to Consign Discredited Medical Procedure to History Books

It’s shocking that in 2017 people are still subjected to forced anal testing to try to “prove” their sexual orientation. But Tunisia and Kenya are the latest countries to take steps toward ending these archaic and abusive exams,…
Poster by Shams, a Tunisian activist group, condemning the use of forced anal exams.
News

One Step Forward, One Step Back in Tunisia

Progress on Women’s Rights; Regression on Justice

On September 14, Tunisia took a step forward by abolishing a 1973 Ministry of Justice directive prohibiting marriage between a Tunisian woman and a non-Muslim man. But the news wasn’t all good this week – a day earlier parliament…
A Tunisian woman holds up a flag during a march to celebrate International Women's Day in Tunis March 8, 2014. © 2014 Reuters
News

Draft Law Could Return Tunisia to a Police State

Parliament Should Reject Abusive Security Bill

Since the fall of the government of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia's nascent democracy has made great strides. These include the adoption of a new constitution, greater media freedom, and free and democratic…
A general view of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People in Tunis, Tunisia, May 2016.
News

Tunisia Should Stop Jailing People for Drugs

Reform of Country’s Draconian Drug Law Suffers Setback

Every year, thousands of young people in Tunisia are thrown into jail for using or possessing drugs. Ministry of Justice figures show that 6,700 people were jailed for using drugs last year alone – that’s almost one-third of the country’s entire prison…
A Year in Prison for Smoking a Joint in Tunisia video
News

Tunisia Casts a Light on its Bloody Past

Launch of Truth Commission Hearings Give Floor to Victims

The legacy of the 2011 popular uprisings in the Middle East ranges from distressing to catastrophic.  The news from Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Libya is grim. Even in Tunisia, the country where it all started, a stubborn economic slump, terrorist…
Rebah Dachraoui of Kasserine addresses the first public hearing of Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission on November 17, 2016, about how police fatally shot her son Slah during protests in January 2011.
News

African Members Reaffirm Support at International Criminal Court Meeting

Countries Commit to Working Within the ICC System

A slew of African countries reaffirmed their backing for the International Criminal Court (ICC) during the past two days, giving much-needed support to the court in the wake of recently announced withdrawals by South Africa, Burundi, and Gambia.  …
News

Dispatches: Governments Defend ICC at African Union Summit

Pushback Against AU Call for Withdrawal

The 27th African Union (AU) summit closed Monday evening without an AU call for immediate mass withdrawal from the International Criminal Court in the face of strong pushback from Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, and even ICC non-member Algeria,…
A general view shows delegates during the 26th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 31, 2016.
News

Dispatches: Illegal Travel Bans in Tunisia’s Airport

When she arrived at Tunisia’s airport on May 24, Rihab May was ready for her vacation. The 24-year-old’s bags were packed, she had a valid passport, a round-trip ticket, a hotel booking, and a notarized authorization to travel from her father. That’…
News

Dispatches: LGBT Rights Five Years After the Tunisian Uprising

Are democratic revolutions in Arab Muslim countries good or bad for advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people? There is only one case study to consider these days – Tunisia – and the verdict is still out. …
A copy of an authorization of suspension of Chams association, signed by the first deputee of the Tunis Court Judge, Mohamed Chaanebi, on December 29, 2015.
News

Dispatches: Tunisia - Nobel Prize Sends Message of Hope

There was a time Tunisia looked set to follow the path of many of the popular uprisings during the Arab Spring – first hope, then a descent into bloodshed and chaos. What helped save Tunisia’s prospects was an extraordinary coming together of civil…
Tunisia quartet
News

Dispatches : Post-Bardo, Anti-Rights Rhetoric in Tunisia

“Madame, I hope you will now stop defending the human rights of terrorists.” This comment on my facebook page does indeed reflect the thinking of some Tunisians in the aftermath of the murderous attacks at the Bardo Museum. The same view is being hammered…
News

Dispatches: Tunisia Blogger Jailing Shows Flaws In Legal System

The prosecution of prominent blogger Yassine Ayari exposes the continuing deficiencies of Tunisia’s legal system in upholding human rights four years after the “Jasmine Revolution” set the country on a path towards democratic rule. On March 3, a military…