In Tunisia, the law is no longer viewed as a tool of oppression but as a mean to advance debate on justice and politics
p>In pre-revolution Tunisia, people viewed the law as a tool used by the autocratic governmentof President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to oppress them. It was feared and mistrusted.
This is no longer the case, according to Abdelbasset Ben Hassen of the Arab Institute for
Human Rights , one of the people who helped draft Tunisia’s new electoral law.
He said that after a popular uprising ousted the government and its leader nearly two years
ago, law is now at the heart of debates and action in the country.
Ben Hassen was speaking at a panel discussion on the rule of law in post-Arab Spring
countries at this year’s European Pro Bono Forum in Madrid.
The law is now part of an historical process - it is at the centre of judicial and political reform
in Tunisia, he said. It has become a tool to advance and safeguard human rights, not to hinder
them.
Ben Hassen said that although Tunisia does not have a long-standing tradition of pro bono
work, legal aid and legal aid education did exist before the revolution, though they faced
harsh opposition from the government and police.
He said there are many lawyers trying to represent the people - for example those who
suffered abuse during the uprising or women victims of rape - and there is a need to develop a
new tradition of pro bono work in Tunisia.
He spoke to TrustLaw about the opportunities for advancing human rights through the rule of
law and ensuring that the people's voice is heard in the process of shaping a new Tunisia.
Law at the heart of judicial, political reform in post-revolution Tunisia from Thomson Reuters Foundation on Vimeo.
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