Amnesia: Ben Ali's Infamous Legacy

On independence day, March 20, and then again on April 30, the eve of Tunisia’s Labor Day, Tunisia’s interim president Fouad Mebazaa -the watchdog legislator of Ben Ali’s authoritarian rule since 1987- called upon the Tunisian people for national reconciliation without specifying its terms and conditions. His call echoed the campaign led by interim Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi -one of Bourguiba’s notorious old guard- and the security forces that urged Tunisian society to turn the page and move forward. The Tunisian interim government is attempting to monopolize the discourses on reconciliation, tending to legitimize abuses committed by the security forces under Ben Ali’s regime over the last 23 years. This version of reconciliation seeks only to reinforce a “culture of impunity” because amnesty will come at the price of justice for the victims. Without accountability and recognition of crimes committed, amnesty results in official amnesia, creating political divisions.  Most importantly, reconciliation cannot occur without bringing the security forces under democratic control. Tunisians expect that reformed security forces will respect the law -especially human rights- to perform professionally, remain apolitical, and be accountable for their actions. Reforming the Tunisian security sector is critical for restoring public confidence in state institutions.  Although the State Security Service (SSS) of the Ministry of Interior has been dismantled, no serious investigation of the officers involved in mistreatment, arbitrary arrests, detention, interrogation, torture, or extra-legal and summary executions has occurred.  In addition, officers from different security services who were involved in killing and torturing demonstrators have been transferred and even promoted to other offices. Tunisian people genuinely fear that holdovers from the security forces are intent on spreading panic and chaos in order to create an atmosphere of uncertainty that could delay a political transition.

The United States needs to make it clear to Tunisia’s interim government that reconciliation and reform of the security sector must go hand in hand in order to face the past and build the future. The granting of essential human rights --free self-expression and open and peaceful organization and mobilization for social and political change -- cannot occur without a solid commitment to transparency and accountability.  This will happen only by strengthening effective governance and professionalizing security services with a focus on human dignity. Tunisian revolt was a pursuit of dignity and a rejection of an autocratic form of government that can begin to be accomplished through a legal investigation of those security forces identified as responsible for human rights abuses. Accountability must be based on fair justice, rather than on amnesia that would postpone genuine reconciliation and aggravate the crisis of confidence between the ruler and the ruled.