Tunis - A conference on "integrating the economic, social and cultural rights in the transitional justice processes in the Middle East and North Africa is held from September 24 to 25 in Tunis.
Experts, researchers and officials from some European countries who underwent "democratic transition" such as Poland, Portugal and Serbia, as well as some "Arab Spring countries," and also Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon and Bahrain are taking part in this meeting held by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
In his opening remarks, Minister of Justice Hafedh Ben Salah said the integration of economic and social rights in the processes of transitional justice is a real challenge, given the huge gap between the nature of these rights and that of physical violations.
The debates concluded that the effects of violations in terms of economic and social rights could be comparable to the effects of physical violations, he said, adding that this approach was integrated into the law on transitional justice under which corruption cases falls within the jurisdiction of the Truth and Dignity Commission and chambers specialised in transitional justice.
President of the Truth and Dignity Commission Sihem Ben Sedrine said the commission will officially start its mandate next December 1 and its work could continue four years.
Debates will focus on violations related to economic crimes as well as the relationship between transitional justice and development, the national memory and artistic expressions.
The conference is held with support from the OHCHR, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the "Institut français de Tunisie, » the German Centre for International Peace Operations (ZIF), the Contemporary Maghreb Research Institute and the Kawakibi Centre for Democratic Transitions.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2014
