Day 26
Tunisia
Tunisia’s once-vibrant democracy is on its deathbed. Democratic backslide in the country shows why it is necessary to adopt a human rights perspective to interpret constitutional decisions. And that is what the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights did. It ruled that the decisions adopted by Saied violated human rights. The court ordered that the presidential decrees be repealed to restore the supremacy of the constitution. A human rights approach is the best antidote to constitutional authoritarian populism. Because autocrats will manipulate the law to justify authoritarian measures, it is necessary to go back to the classical legal tradition and recall that an unjust law cannot be deemed binding. Pray for democratic leadership in Tunisia that can really protect the people. Pray that the leaders will repent and obey God’s law and abide by them (The Bible, 1 John 3:4).
Source:
Tunisia is listed in the 35th position in the World Watch report 2022 by Open Doors for Christian persecution. The current President of Tunisia is Kais Saied and The current prime minister is Najla Bouden since October 2021. She is Tunisia’s first female Prime Minister. Modern Tunisians are the descendents of indigenous Berbers and people from numerous civilizations that have invaded or migrated to Tunisia. The Arab Spring enabled the country to have one of the most progressive and open societies in the Arab world. Tunisians felt frustrated by high unemployment, corruption, political oppression, and poor living conditions. Protests led to government changes and inspired similar protests across the whole Arab world. Tunisia’s new constitution is truly progressive. However, unemployment and economic decline remain big challenges to the new government. The pressure Christian Believers face is widespread and constant. Tunisian security services monitor any gathering for worship.
