Tunisia’s ‘Economic Miracle’ has not benefited all, nor has it been matched by greater enjoyment of human rights. This was vividly illustrated during unrest in the south-west region of Gafsa in 2008, when peaceful protests by workers and unemployed youths were met with excessive use of force by security forces, arbitrary arrest, torture or other ill-treatment, and imprisonment after unfair trials. The protests were sparked by what was seen as an unfair recruitment process by the Gafsa Phosphate Company.
