Resource Library

As Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission (TDC) prepares to hear the testimonies of thousands of citizens, ICTJ is assisting women’s groups in ensuring that their voices are heard in the process.

In this op-ed, ICTJ's President David Tolbert expresses concern about the new "Reconciliation Bill" proposed by the Tunisian government, which would grant amnesty to corrupt business people and Ben Ali-era officials in the guise of "reconciliation." "Massive corruption and violent human rights violations are mutually reinforcing, and unless this linkage is exposed and broken, it can lead to mutually reinforcing impunity," writes Tolbert.

In collaboration with 11 Tunisian human rights organizations from nine regions, ICTJ recently established the network “Transitional Justice is also for Women” to engage women as active participants in transitional justice initiatives.

In this op-ed, Rim El Gantri, head of ICTJ's Tunisian office, discusses the challenges facing Tunisia's transitional justice process and argues that the government's failure to provide accountability for crimes committed under past regimes threatens the country's transition to democracy.

For decades, veiled women in Tunisia were deprived of their rights and discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. Now, they’re joining together to tell their stories and seek justice from the Tunisian government.

The voices of Tunisian women were in danger of being lost in the country's transitional process. Salwa El Gantri explains how one network of women's organizations made sure that did not happen by helping women find their voice and fight for justice.

The Tunisian government reintroduced a bill that, if passed, would grant a path for reconciliation to corrupt business people and Ben Ali-era officials. They claim it will stimulate the economy, but economics professor Dr. Abdeljelil Bédoui explains why this law is not the solution.

Tunisian activists have taken to the streets this month to protest the proposed Economic Reconciliation Law recently revived in parliament. If approved, the bill would offer a path for corrupt Ben Ali-era officials and business people to legalize their stolen assets and secure a form of amnesty.

Victims of Tunisia’s dictatorship shared their stories publicly on November 17 in a historic moment for the country. The Truth and Dignity Commission (TDC) - charged with investigating gross human rights violations in the country since 1955 committed under the dictatorship - held its first public hearings in Tunis, gathering victims to testify to their experiences under dictatorship. The hearings present an essential opportunity for the country to confront its painful past. Since its inception in 2014, the TDC has received over 62,000 submissions and heard testimony from about 11,000 people.

“I hesitated a lot before giving this testimony. But after much debate I decided to. History is not to be written in the palaces." That’s how Bechir Laabidi opened testimony on day two of public hearings at Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission, where Tunisians continued to write the history of the country from the victims’ perspective. This final day of testimony focused on torture perpetrated by the dictatorship, with eight victims sharing their stories into the early hours of the morning.