Tunisia: justice and accountability are crucial for a successful transition towards democracy

 
Al Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center (KADEM) and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) under the framework of the Transitional Justice Academy just concluded a training course and a series of lectures and meetings with relevant stakeholders on “Implementation of international legal instruments supporting human rights and transitional justice in Tunisia: The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Celebrating the 10th ICC Anniversary”.
 
Following the High Level Opening Session on Tuesday 25 September, a two-day long training course started with 25 participants, including judges from different tribunals, lawyers, representatives of relevant Ministries and civil society. In their intervention, Fadi Al-Abdallah, ICC Spokesperson and Head of the Public Affairs Unit, and Amady Ba, Head of International Cooperation at the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, covered a broad range of issues with a particular focus on the role the Rome Statute and the ICC can have in Tunisia to support Transitional Justice. A number of Tunisian experts intervened as well highlighting the situation in their country, its challenges and opportunities.

On Wednesday 26 September, KADEM and NPWJ also held a strategy meeting with civil society to exchange views on how the Rome Statute can reinforce Tunisian transition and to enhance coordination on ICC issues. The organisations present decided to strengthen cooperation on these issues and continue meeting in the coming months regularly to conduct common activities and coordinate on individual initiatives. KADEM will continue in this phase to act as a focal point and to organise upcoming meetings.
 

 
On Thursday 27 and Friday 28 September, NPWJ and KADEM organised a number of lectures on the same subject with lawyers and the President of the Bar Association, Chawki Tabib; with students and the Dean of the University of Juridical, Political and Social Science, Fadhel Moussa; and with judges and the President of the Observatory on the Independence of Justice, Ahmed Rahmouni.
 
The main conclusion of these activities is that the Rome Statute could serve as a model to reform and improve national legislation on a number of crucial areas, including victims' participation and reparations, victims’ and witnesses’ protection, fair trial rights, substantive elements of crimes under international law and modes of criminal responsibility. Tunisia should uphold in its Constitution international legal instruments supporting transitional justice and human rights, restating its commitment to continue the transition towards democracy.
 
For further information, please contact Greta Barbone on gbarbone@npwj.org and +216 28385079 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 2 548-39 15.
 
For more information about NPWJ and KADEM’s work on transitional justice in Tunisia, please click here