Espiegle69
Evil Halouf
Tunisia is the first Arab country in the Middle East and North Africa region to be declared ‘free,’ according to a report released by US-based pro-democracy NGO Freedom House.
In its annual freedom report, Tunisia was singled out as an example of a successful democracy in a region which has seen continuing state suppression and human rights abuses.
The report highlights in particular Tunisia’s 2014 progressive constitution, as well as the free and open parliamentary and presidential elections held later in the same year as key successes helping it to achieve the ‘free’ category.
The report notes that “[Tunisia’s ranking] is remarkable not just because it was ranked Not Free only five years ago, with scores that placed it among some of the most repressive regimes in the world, but also because Tunisia is so far the only successful case among the many Arab countries that exhibited some political opening in the 2011 Arab Spring.”
Tunisia, however, received a lower ‘civil liberties’ rating compared to other categories, obtaining a score of only three out of seven – seven being the worst score – with press and internet freedom also being categorized as only ‘partly free.’
After several decades under dictatorship with a government apparatus designed to act as a police state, Tunisia’s transition to democracy is not trouble free. A recent report by the anti-corruption NGO, Transparency International, highlighted endemic corruption and noted several high-profile cases of human rights violations testing the the country’s judicial system.
“The fight against terrorism is the most dangerous problem now about the freedom of expression and human rights,” commented human rights activist Henda Chennaoui in AlMonitor. “The regime uses this argument to repress people, to put people in jail, and it is very, very dangerous.”
Messaoud Romdhani, a Tunisian human rights activist currently working with the Cairo Center for Human Rights Studies – an NGO that focuses on issues across MENA – celebrated the country’s recent democratic achievements, though cautioned that the situation is still precarious.
“Tunisia has chosen a third option between Islamism on the one hand and dictatorship on the other,” he explained to Tunisia Live. “We have long had a vibrant civil society, including trade unions and human rights leagues,” he continued. “But we need to take into consideration other problems. To the layman, food and security come first… though democracy has been successful, the economy has been left behind.”
“Young people say they are being pushed into terrorism because there are no solutions to get out of their situation. We have to take into consideration a wide range of issues.”
The only other Middle Eastern country to be declared ‘free’ in the report is Israel, and the only Arab country to receive a ‘partially free’ rating is Morocco.
- Source: Tunisia Live
http://www.tunisia-live.net/2015/02/11/tunisia-declared-free-by-freedom-house/#sthash.YsXS1QJR.dpuf
In its annual freedom report, Tunisia was singled out as an example of a successful democracy in a region which has seen continuing state suppression and human rights abuses.
The report highlights in particular Tunisia’s 2014 progressive constitution, as well as the free and open parliamentary and presidential elections held later in the same year as key successes helping it to achieve the ‘free’ category.
The report notes that “[Tunisia’s ranking] is remarkable not just because it was ranked Not Free only five years ago, with scores that placed it among some of the most repressive regimes in the world, but also because Tunisia is so far the only successful case among the many Arab countries that exhibited some political opening in the 2011 Arab Spring.”
Tunisia, however, received a lower ‘civil liberties’ rating compared to other categories, obtaining a score of only three out of seven – seven being the worst score – with press and internet freedom also being categorized as only ‘partly free.’
After several decades under dictatorship with a government apparatus designed to act as a police state, Tunisia’s transition to democracy is not trouble free. A recent report by the anti-corruption NGO, Transparency International, highlighted endemic corruption and noted several high-profile cases of human rights violations testing the the country’s judicial system.
“The fight against terrorism is the most dangerous problem now about the freedom of expression and human rights,” commented human rights activist Henda Chennaoui in AlMonitor. “The regime uses this argument to repress people, to put people in jail, and it is very, very dangerous.”
Messaoud Romdhani, a Tunisian human rights activist currently working with the Cairo Center for Human Rights Studies – an NGO that focuses on issues across MENA – celebrated the country’s recent democratic achievements, though cautioned that the situation is still precarious.
“Tunisia has chosen a third option between Islamism on the one hand and dictatorship on the other,” he explained to Tunisia Live. “We have long had a vibrant civil society, including trade unions and human rights leagues,” he continued. “But we need to take into consideration other problems. To the layman, food and security come first… though democracy has been successful, the economy has been left behind.”
“Young people say they are being pushed into terrorism because there are no solutions to get out of their situation. We have to take into consideration a wide range of issues.”
The only other Middle Eastern country to be declared ‘free’ in the report is Israel, and the only Arab country to receive a ‘partially free’ rating is Morocco.
- Source: Tunisia Live
http://www.tunisia-live.net/2015/02/11/tunisia-declared-free-by-freedom-house/#sthash.YsXS1QJR.dpuf
