Tunisia Today

A woman who is a Tunisian engaged in human rights activities in her country gave a long interview on Radio Swiss this afternoon. I have confidence in Radio Swiss and so I feel sure she was vetted before the Swiss aired her interview.
It was eye-opening in its first hand account of how human rights are faring in the post-Arab Spring Tunisia.
She said things are better now, but that torture and vindictive actions by police and the military continue. Her perspective was much more measured than ours would be, I feel sure.
She makes allowance for the “rooted” culture of torture in Tunisian jails and prisons. Her wish is to begin a long-term campaign to uproot it over years. Wisely, she said that torture is not something that can be eradicated overnight. But, one has to begin.
Her examples included both civilian and military officials, because she said that even in the joy of being freed of Ben Ali’s regime, the military then went after those who had mistreated military during the revolution and tortured them, killing some and releasing others to serve as a warning.
She also talked about the routine torture of jail and prison inmates, now as before the Arab Spring revolt.
Her comment about this was frightening in its clarity. She said that Tunisians know that torture continues but that now, they will not allow it to prevent them from speaking out. She says freedom of speech has improved greatly, not so much because the new government wants more freedom of speech but because Tunisian citizens demand it, even at the risk of being jailed and tortured.
She also noted that Islamists are at work in Tunisia, harassing women, forcing them to wear a veil when they can, and even encouraging female circumcision, something the woman said was never carried out in Tunisia before.
Hers is a bold and encouraging story. If this spirit of freedom is alive in Tunisia, may we hope it will also be alive in other Arab Spring countries in the aftermath of each revolution.
I continue to admire the real Arab Spring seekers of freedom. We are often caught up in the reports of al-Qaida gaining ground, as we have heard today about Syria, and we worry about who will control the Middle East after the Arab Springs are all history and somebody new and often unknown is in charge in each country.
But, let’s keep remembering the real democratic spirit that started the Arab Spring - the people who were terrorized by dictators, tortured and maltreated economically and emotionally. It is easy to let these people fade into the background as other stories take center stage.
Remember them. Say a prayer for them. Try to find something, anything, to do to help them reap the reward of their bold and fearless revolts.
May we be as brave if the need ever arises.