Opposition political parties and human rights organizations in Tunisia commemorated on Sunday the 13th anniversary of the “Jasmine Revolution” having ousted former President Ben Ali from power on January 14, 2011.
Protesters denounced what they see as a “democratic setback” since President Kaïs Saïed seized all powers after dissolving parliament and adopting a new “tailor-made” constitution.
“Today there is a repression that affects political parties and associations, making public participation in demonstrations weak and discouraging engagement in civil and political activities. A state of intimidation and coercion is pervasive among all Tunisians through Decree 54, targeting journalists and bloggers, which has led many of them to refrain from any political engagement. ;, explains Bassem Trifi, president of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights.
Protesters held up photos of political prisoners while calling for their release. Several journalists are being prosecuted or imprisoned under controversial laws adopted by the government, which overrides Decree 115 adopted in the wake of the revolution, which prohibits all corporal punishment against journalists.
But for organizers, the spirit of the 2011 revolution that led to the Arab Spring is still present in Tunisian streets.
“The street (Tunisians) always remains attached to the revolution and its objectives, unwavering in the pursuit of its principles, and the street is determined to find a real solution for Tunisia that moves it from populism to a real program of reform and salvation.”, says Imed Khemeri, leader of the Islamist Ennahda movement.
Thirteen years after the Arab Spring, political actors still remember the fall of Ben Ali. The date of January 14, 2011, remains engraved in the memory of the leader of the Popular Front.
“It represents the liberation of Tunisians from tyranny. I remember that the day I returned home (after prison), (Zine El Abidine) Ben Ali was fleeing the country by plane. This image has never left my memory. I was returning home and he (Ben Ali) was fleeing the country,” underlines Hamma Hammami, leader of the Popular Front.
More than 20 opponents have been imprisoned for 10 months for “plot against state security” without any evidence to support this accusation, according to their lawyers.
