On January 14, 2011, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the dictator who had ruled over Tunisia since 1987, was ousted from office by popular demonstrations led by young people eager to assert their political and economic rights. Five years later, Tunisia is the only country to emerge from the Arab Spring by transitioning to democracy, but waning political support and a restrictive climate fueled by fears of terrorism have endangered efforts to address its history of human rights abuses.
