Since the 2011 revolution, Tunisia has achieved considerable progress in terms of human rights and fundamental freedoms but political, economic and social instability remain.
This is the conclusion drawn by EuroMed Rights on the eve of the subcommittee meeting between Tunisia and the EU on “Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law,” scheduled to take place on 26 January 2026.
The new Constitution, proclaimed on 26 January 2014, guarantees the main rights and freedoms and sets up the foundations of a state based on the rule of Law. The organisation of free and democratic legislative, presidential and municipal elections led to the set-up of new institutions.
Tunisia has also adopted several revolutionary laws in the Arab world. This includes the comprehensive Law on the Eradication of Violence against Women and the Law on the Eradication of all forms of Racial Discrimination. However, much remains to be done to implement the laws and harmonise the legislation in line with the Constitution and the international Conventions ratified by Tunisia.
On a political level, both the power-sharing system established by the new Constitution and the provisions of the Law on Elections and Referendums have, for the past ten years, fuelled the ongoing political instability. The latter weighs on the management of the State and the implementation of the reforms necessary to put an end to the endemic political, economic, sanitary and social crises faced by the Tunisia in the last few decades.
Attacks against individual freedoms and women’s rights continue. The adoption of two existing bills on equality of inheritance between women and men as well as the creation of a “Code of rights and individual freedoms” could bring positive change in this area.
From an economic and social perspective, the situation is critical. The various governments in place after the Revolution have failed to set up an economic model that would take into account the aspirations of the Tunisian people, particularly regarding the creation of decent jobs, the enjoyment of their economic and social rights, and the reduction of social and regional discrepancies. The inflation rate, the deterioration of the dinar, the drop in purchasing power and the shortage of first necessity products and medicines severely impact the daily life of the population. In turn, this triggers a revival of social movements. In Tunisia, a country whose economy is opened to the world – and therefore vulnerable to exogenous shocks – the COVID-19 pandemic has had catastrophic consequences on vital sectors (with the exception of agriculture) which are severely impacted.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Revolution, EuroMed Rights publishes a « State of Play of Human Rights in Tunisia » (in French). This document, which offers an analysis of the progress gained through the mobilisation of Tunisian civil society, was sent to the competent authorities ahead of the meeting of 26 January.