Tunisia: the Transitional Justice Academy enhances lawyers’ and youth participation to support accountability efforts

Sfax, Tunisia, 30 March 2013

 
On 28 March 2013, Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (KADEM) and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) in partnership with the Tunisian Bar Association concluded in Sfax, Southeast Tunisia, a consultation with over 40 lawyers on transitional justice and the draft legislation that is now being discussed at the National Constituent Assembly. This activity was followed by a two-day training with a restricted group of 20 lawyers on the various components of transitional justice, with a particular focus on Truth Commissions. Lawyers are one of the key stakeholders of transitional justice and their support for the process is fundamental to ensure its legitimacy and the effective participation of other actors, including victims and alleged perpetrators.
 
On Saturday 30 March, KADEM and NPWJ in partnership with the initiative One Hand Against Violence also held a consultation with a group of around 50 young people in Tozeur, Southwest Tunisia. This activity built on the training course for youth organised in Bizerte by KADEM and NPWJ last February and aimed at enhancing their participation in shaping transitional justice mechanisms and collecting their views and expectations. Their involvement in transitional is crucial to ensure that a new culture based on the rule of law can flourish in a country like Tunisia, which has experienced decades of dictatorships.
 
All these activities were conducted under the Transitional Justice Academy and the Tunisian experts who conducted the consultations and the training had taken part in most of the previous activities under the Academy, including the Trainer of Trainers held on 31 January-4 February 2012. The experts engaged participants on their objectives and needs in relation to transitional justice and in each session, after an initial presentation from the experts, participants continued discussions on the various topics in working group, brainstormed on a number of transitional justice issues and conducted practical exercises.
 
 
Documentation:

 
 
 
For further information, please contact Greta Barbone on gbarbone@npwj.org or +216 28385079 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 (0)2 548-39 15.
For more information about NPWJ and KADEM’s work on transitional justice in Tunisia, please click here