The announcement of the long awaited new government in Tunisia coincided with International Women‘s Day. Ironically, only 3 women were appointed in the new cabinet. The exclusion of women from key posts in the government is not a new phenomenon in the history of modern Tunisia.
Today, the one thing that devastated me the most is how quickly the president who is supposed to be a human rights defender, not just any president, stepped in to persuade us to get used to the spilling of blood.
The political players (the ones in government and the opposition) should accelerate their efforts today towards reaching consensus and putting Tunisia above everything else.
Weariness with unfulfilled promises, deteriorating economic conditions and the rising threat of violence was rather visible on the day celebrating the second anniversary of the Tunisian revolution.
A general strike will take place on Thursday, December 13, across Tunisia, a rare call, actually the third to be made by the powerful UGTT since its foundation in 1946.
Bouazizi’s desperate act of self-immolation in response to his humiliation seems to be replicated once again under the rule of a legitimate government that came to power through the ballot box.
They are unwilling to go back to detaining and torturing “the Salafis” to win the satisfaction of the western hemisphere, but on the other hand, Tunisians are refusing to be returned to the middle ages.
23rd October marked the first anniversary of free and democratic elections in Tunisia. However, dissatisfaction over the slow pace of reform and the crackdown on human rights soured plans to celebrate.
The coalition government has shown little interest in engaging in an authentic reconciliation between Tunisians with different political allegiances.
The victim filed a complaint against the three police officers only to be charged with “intentional indecent behaviour” based on the testimony of the offenders.
Tunisian leaders must quickly and boldly address the problem of fundamentalism through building more robust democratic institutions, debate forums and a national dialogue.
In Tunisia, the violent protest that took place after the Friday prayer near the US embassy resulted in four deaths with several seriously injured.
