After the revolution, the Tunisian revolution the Arab Institute was, I think, in the position to reflect about what´s the role of human rights in this new situation and phase of our historical new era. What´s the role of the Arab Institute, what´s the role of human rights and how to make human rights part of the new developments in our society and all these new dynamics and new definition of roles, political roles, economic roles– nationally and regionally, internationally, what should be the role of human rights.
And this was a kind of collective reflection with traditional actors, human rights actors, but with the newcomers and new organizations and new young people, bloggers, media people, and new human rights organizations, citizenship organization. And after all this reflection we think that we developed three main strategies. The first strategy was to help reinforce the institutions and to elaborate new legislation and new constitutions based on human rights. We mean by reinforcing institutions in the creation and the enforcement of institutions accountable to their people, inclusive and democratic.
And this work strategy was based on social debates, on proposals– for reform proposals on policy papers and international visits for people who came to Tunisia and discussed with people from civil society organizations and from the governmental institutions on different ways and models to reform institutions. And I think that the institution´s reflection about the transition of justice, about the reform of the judiciary, about the security system reform, I think were instrumental in the last months.
The second work strategy was about reinforcing or strengthening the sustainability of civil society organizations and institutions. And our idea was how to create a vibrant and creative civil society institutions and organizations capable to develop and to reinforce the participation of people, participation of people in decision making, participation of people in making the new institutions accountable and the new governments accountable and also developing a kind of equilibrium between the political society and the civil society organization field.
Also we developed some work on reforming the media, supporting the high council on the media reform by technical support and training and of course all the other committees, specialized committees founded after the revolution. And we have this work also with the political parties trying to introduce the human rights culture and democratic culture and the work of political parties. Considering my work with the High Council for the Objectives of the Revolution, Political Reform and Democratic Transition, I think first, I think that this council was a kind of school for democracy.
I think all the members representing political parties, trade unions, civil society organizations, I think media, I think this was for us to learn democratic issues, to develop a kind of democratic discussion and also to start to know each other because it was the first time that some people representing Tunisians were asked to work together on democratic transition. The second main achievement, I think, of this council was to elaborate the new legislation, to prepare the elections, the legislation on the law on political parties media reform. And I think that this new legislation, I think, play the major role in helping Tunisia to go through this very fragile and difficult transition period.
Abdel Basset Ben Hassen is a Tunisian freedom advocate who has dedicated much of his adult life to the promotion of human rights in the Arab world. His interest in the field was sparked during his university days while participating in student political movements that focused on promoting democracy and human rights.
After graduation, Ben Hassen joined the Arab Institute for Human Rights (AIHR) where he worked to train thousands of freedom activists across the region on developing strategies for promoting their causes. Later, he joined the Ford Foundation in Egypt and worked directly with farmers, fisherman, and laborers in depressed areas to encourage greater human rights discourse and educate the poor on their basic rights. These efforts proved challenging as authoritarian leaders in the Middle East and Africa posed numerous roadblocks to the work of civil society in promoting human rights and political initiatives. As a result, many were afraid to work for or cooperate with such organizations.
Today, Ben Hassen is the President of AIHR and serves as a prominent voice in the international community for promoting human rights in the Arab world. Ben Hassen is also the chair of the Tunisian National Committee for the Support to Refugees and served as a member of Tunisia’s High Committee for the Realization of the Objectives of the Revolution, Political Reform and Democratic Transition.
In addition to his advocacy work, Ben Hassen is a poet whose books have been translated into French, Italian, and German.
Tunisia is situated on the Mediterranean coastline. It has a population of fewer than 11 million people and is the smallest nation in North Africa in land area. In 2010 and 2011, it became the first of the Arab countries to revolt against decades of dictatorial rule, launching the Arab Spring and a wave of change across the region. Tunisia has a developing economy, focused largely on agriculture, tourism, and light industry.
Tunisia has been settled since ancient times. In the 10th century B.C., it was part of the Phoenician Empire. The city of Carthage, near the modern capital of Tunis, was established in the 9th century B.C. In 149 B.C., the Roman Empire conquered the Phoenicians. Islam was introduced to what is now Tunisia in the 7th century A.D., and the area formed part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. In 1881, Tunisia became a protectorate of France. A strong French cultural element continues to this day.
In 1956, Habib Bourguiba led Tunisia to independence from France. His political party, later known as the Constitutional Democratic Rally, went on to dominate Tunisian politics for more than 50 years. Bourguiba’s Tunisia was a largely secular state and was viewed as one of the most progressive in the Arab world on women’s issues. In 1987, Bourguiba was replaced in a “bloodless coup” by his prime minister, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Ben Ali continued many of Bourguiba’s policies, but ruled with an increasingly heavy hand. The Ben Ali regime was repressive and corrupt, with a dismal human rights record. The regime showed little tolerance for dissent, and lashed out at opposition voices in politics, civil society, and the media.
The Tunisian Revolution began in December 2010, when Mohamed Bouazizi, a young street vendor, set himself on fire in protest over harassment by a local official. Bouazizi’s act led to mass demonstrations across the country, protesting the lack of human rights, poor economic conditions, and corruption and nepotism in the Ben Ali regime. On January 14, 2011, Ben Ali stepped down and fled the country. On October 23, 2011, Tunisia held its first free elections, forming a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution and lead the country to general elections. The role of religion in society is among the most important issues facing the assembly and country.
Under the interim Constituent Assembly, Tunisia has experienced considerable political upheaval, but has begun to consolidate its democracy. There is a major fault line between Islamist and secular political forces. In 2013, several political assassinations resulted in widespread protests and demonstrators calling for the nation’s Islamist-led government to be removed. In January of 2014, after two years of debate, the Constituent Assembly ratified the nation’s new constitution. The constitution is considered progressive for the nation and has many human rights guarantees. With the ratification of the constitution, elections are scheduled for autumn 2014.
Freedom House’s 2013 Freedom in the World report categorized Tunisia as “partly free”. The nation received the following ratings on a scale with one being the most free and seven being the least: 3.5 as an overall freedom rating, a four in civil liberties and a three in political rights. Tunisia’s Internet and press were also categorized as “partly free” in subsequent Freedom House reports.
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