Documents on Tunisia

Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali ruled Tunisia with an iron hand for 24 years. His secret police were notorious throughout in the Arab world, as was the kleptomania of his wife and family. On December 15, 2013, almost three years after his overthrow, the Constituent Assembly passed a law on transitional justice in Tunisia. There had been lengthy discussions about what form and direction the law should take.

The law “on establishing and organizing transitional justice,” as the process of coming to terms with the past is called in international parlance, describes a broad spectrum of tasks. It aims to address serious human rights violations committed since July 1, 1955 and to bring those responsible to justice. To this end, the law provides for the establishment of special chambers at the criminal courts. It also calls for a Commission for Truth and Dignity, which is responsible, among other things, for setting up a committee to vet civil servants and implement institutional reforms. The law came into force on December 31, 2013.

The English translation of the law is here.