Day: November 17, 2016

Tunisia will no longer tolerate violations of human rights, says Ben Sedrine

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(TAP) – “Tunisia will no longer tolerate violations of human rights,” said Sihem Ben Sedrine, President of the Truth and Dignity Committee (French:IVD) on Thursday in Tunis on the occasion of the start of the first public hearings of the victims of serious human rights violations committed between 1955 and 2013. “This is a landmark event in the history of Tunisia,” said Ben Sedrine at the opening of the hearing sessions adding that this day is of major importance not only for the Tunisians but also for the whole world.…

Live revelation of Tunisian autocracy’s abuses: way to achieve accountability

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Tunisian victims who suffered abuses during decades of authoritarian rule are revealing live their sufferings and grievances to the Truth and Dignity Commission Thursday evening. They are seeking accountability for the torture crimes they had endured before the Revolution of 2011. More than 62,000 complaints have been filed to the Truth and Dignity Commission since its creation in 2013. Complaints include police torture, corruption, and even murder. The commission is investigating each case to determine eventual reparations and punishment. The first televised  public hearing is  described as a turning point…

Belgian Secretary of State for Immigration and Asylum wishes to register Tunisia on list of safe countries

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Secretary of State for Immigration and Asylum Theo Francken wishes to add three North African countries Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco on the list of safe countries. This is not the first time the Secretary of State has sought to add Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, but up until now the CGRSP has been vehemently opposed. Theo Francken envisages there being an exception available for such cases. Around 100 asylum seekers come each year from the three affected North African countries. He also intends to confer the status of countries of safe…

The End of Europe’s Comfort Zone

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Shortly before Donald Trump was elected U.S. president on November 8, leading EU officials paid a visit to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels. Led by Nathalie Tocci, who is the top security and foreign policy adviser to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, the delegation spent two hours briefing the alliance’s ambassadors during their regular Wednesday meeting of the North Atlantic Council. Tocci explained in detail the implications of the EU’s global strategy, a document that sets out Europe’s foreign, security, and defense ambitions. The EU, she told her audience,…