By any measure, Tunisia has had an extraordinary few years. The optimism of the months after long-time dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled at the start of the Arab Spring has given way to years of political difficulties and successes.
Most recently, Tunisia has been on the frontlines of terrorist violence, with two shocking attacks targeting tourism within four months of each other. With tourism such an important part of the economy, and with the economy still fragile after the revolution, it is unsurprising that the government has sought a forceful response, this week bringing in a new anti-terror law.
Some parts of the law appear, in the current climate, to be sensible. Making public support for terrorism an offence and using phone-tapping against suspects are important tools in the fight against ISIL.
Other elements could be concerning – detention of suspects for 15 days without access to a lawyer is of great concern. Other countries, for example the UK, have similar periods for terrorism suspects, and there has been fierce debate about the length of time suspects can be held.
As always, though, it is the way the law is used that is worrying rights activists. Advocacy groups who claim the definition of terrorism is too broad are tapping into a broader sentiment and fear about the too-recent regime of Ben Ali. All politics occurs within a local context, and Tunisians will naturally be concerned about laws that could be used in a way that the Ben Ali regime too often did – to stifle legitimate protest, to silence opposition and to jail those it disliked.
Tunisia’s government must, therefore, be careful that the law is applied evenly and carefully. Tunisia’s parliament passed the law by an overwhelming majority, so there is clear consensus that it is both needed and fit for purpose. But when it comes to its application, judges must ensure that it is used only against those it is intended to target, and not used for political purposes. Memories of the regime of Ben Ali have not yet faded.