On the 10th anniversary of the revolution, Tunisia witnessed what has become a usual spike in the number of protests carried out across the country especially during January. What distinguished 2021 from the rest was the diversity of backgrounds and motivations that propelled demonstrations. Among hundreds of Tunisians detained, many were minors; there were illegal night raids, arbitrary arrests, investigative reports that failed to respect detainee’s most basic rights; the suspicious death of a man in his thirties following his arbitrary arrest; another young man was tortured, one of his testicals removed. Neither the perpetrators nor those in power were held accountable for these repressive practices.
Truth Commission Public Hearings: Kamel Matmati and Tunisia’s disappeared
Last Thursday, November 17, Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission held the country’s first public hearings with victims of human rights violations carried out under the Bourguiba and Ben Ali regimes. Torture victims—including former political prisoners Sami Brahem and Gilbert Naccache—as well as the families of the disappeared and martyrs of the revolution testified on national television.
Sadok Ben Mhenni : Deny prisoners their freedom, not their dignity
Under the slogan “a festival for all,” Ezzahra Festival management, including Sadok Ben Mhenni, had organized a concert performed by prisoners. Scheduled for Friday, August 5, the event, which would have been the first of its kind, was canceled by the Interior Ministry for security reasons. Recap of an all but forgotten struggle.
Tunisia’s State Security Apparatus: an unofficial narrative
The National Museum of the State Security System is one of several artistic works that Egyptian playwright-director Laila Soliman and Belgian actor-director Ruud Gielens have created together. The artists were approached by the organizers of Dream City to create a project for the fifth edition of the event (November 4-8). Soliman shared some time with Nawaat to talk about the creative process behind their creation, a glimpse into the unofficial narrative of the state security apparatus that operated under the Ben Ali regime.
Torture in Tunisia: Abdelmajid Jdey, Another Death in Police Custody
Abdelmajid Jdey was being held in preventative detention Sidi Bouzid when, on 13 May, the Ministry of the Interior announced his death; according to the statement, Jdey hung himself in his cell. In the weeks that have followed, civil society activists and organizations including Human Rights Watch and the Tunisian Organization Against Torture (OCTT) have contested the Ministry’s announcement. Notably, the victim had filed a complaint of torture to OCTT several days prior to his death.
Tunisia: Investigate Alleged Abuse in Prison – Two Detainees Report Beatings, Torture
Human Rights Watch – (Tunis, August 29, 2013) – Tunisian authorities should open prompt and thorough investigations into allegations of […]
Amnesty International /Egypt: Evidence points to torture carried out by Morsi supporters
Evidence, including testimonies from survivors, indicates that supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi tortured individuals from a rival political camp, […]
Can Police Torture be History in Tunisia?
The Tunisian Network for a Successful society (TUNESS) – www.tuness.org – has organized with the kind support of Columbia Society of International Law (CSIL) a round table discussion on the topic of police torture in Tunisia on Saturday December 1st, 2012 at Columbia University. Three distinguished guest speakers participated in this event.
The murder of Abdulraouf Khamasi and the attempted cover-up by the security and justice sectors
The Interior Ministry claims in its report, published on 10 September, that an investigative inquiry was launched on 30 August 2012 – this is true. However, what the ministry fails to give are the subject and title of this report.
Tunisia: Hold Police Accountable for Shootings
The transitional government of Tunisia should make it an urgent priority to investigate the killings of demonstrators by Tunisian security forces in early January 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces used excessive force in suppressing demonstrations in the central western cities of Kasserine and Tala, Human Rights Watch said, killing at least 21 people with live ammunition in these two cities alone between January 8 and 12, Human Rights Watch found.
Tunisia: EU incentives contributing to new repression
Ben Ali’s regime competes with its homologues in Libya and Syria for the doubtful honor of being the most repressive […]
No one in Tunisia has been jailed or harassed for being critical , says Ben Ali
While journalist Fahem Boukaddous is on a lengthy and life threatening hunger strike at Gafsa prison to protest, as you […]
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are the new tools of protest in the Arab world
Khaled Said is not the first Egyptian whom police allegedly beat to death. But his death has sparked a virtual […]
Tunisia: ‘Plus ca change’ on human rights, says Amnesty-New report
[…] Torture remains pervasive in detention centres, particularly those of the State Security Department, the organisation warned, and statements allegedly obtained under torture are being accepted by courts as evidence to convict defendants. Incommunicado detention is also being covered up with officials falsifying arrest documents. […]
Torture : Quand ça part en vrille lors du prepcom de Durban II entre la présidente Libyenne de la séance et A. el Hagoug Gomma
Video : Durban Review Conference
Preparatory Committee, Friday, 17th April 2009
Chairperson : Najat Al-Hajjaji, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Speaker : Ashraf el Hagoug Gomma (for UN Watch)
US Torture: Voices from the Black Sites
1- We think time and elections will cleanse our fallen world but they will not. Since November, George W. Bush […]
Tunisie : Les droits de l’homme tunisien torturent Sarko
« L’espace des libertés progresse. » C’était le jugement de Sarko en visite à Tunis, en avril dernier. Visiblement, notre […]
Torture en Tunisie : Un ancien ministre s’exprime sur El Hiwar Ettounsi
Pour résumer, en utilisant la formule consacrée, cet ancien ministre était «responsable mais pas coupable» quant à la pratique de la torture sur les citoyens tunisiens dans les locaux de l’administration tunisienne. L’entretien est une reprise diffusée le 17 février 2008, où l’on retrouve un TBH assez offensif avec sa manière si particulière dans le paysage médiatique tunisien d’être «cordialement direct».