Human rights and Tunisia

Tunisia, formally known as the Tunisian Republic, is a small country located on the north african coast, situated between Algeria and Libya. For most of its recent history, Tunisia has been held under both ottoman and french empires. In 1956, Tunisia gained its independance, and until 2011's jasmine revolution, only had two presidents throughout this 55 year period.

Although many government reforms were supposedly enacted in 1987, Tunisia has continued to be a place where certain freedoms, especially freedoms of the press, have continued to be diminished by the government. According to amnesty international, "the Tunisian government is misleading the world as it conveys a positive image of the human rights situation in the country while abuses by its security forces continue unabated and are committed with impunity ". Tunisia cencors certain press outlets, and along with China cencors many sites on the internet, among them youtube.

In December 2010, a street vendor, named Mohamed Bouazizi, commited suicide by setting himself on fire, in response to confiscation of his goods and humiliation at the hands of a female municipal official. This was a catalyst for the 2010-2011 revolution, which overthrew president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Since the success of this revolution, many countries across the middle east have followed suit by demanding greater rights. Egypt also overthrew their own president, Hosni Mubarak, in a succesful set of protests sparked by the Jasmine revolution of Tunisia. The world now waits to see how Tunisia, and the Middle East at large, will recover in the wake of such protests and revolutions.
Amnesty.org. http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/tunisia-human-rights-lip-service-20080623. Retrieved 2010-05-02