Tunisian politics.

Revolution was a big word, full of hopes and a promise of a long journey into unknown territories where we would sail until the sunrise every single day. But these idealical images of what a free life could be did not last very long, indeed by the end of the revolution every one went back to a regular life of fear and oppression.

The bodily integrity of Tunisian citizens is violated every day in the name of a penal code that heavily criminalizes a lot of fictional societal problems as homosexuality (A.230), adultery (A.236) and cannabis use which codified in the 52Th of the penal code and which is punishable by one year of jail time as well as 1200 tunisian dinars, and routinely performs anal and vaginal exams and urine testing in complicity with forensic doctors.

Statistics are rather terrifying when it comes to the number of people jailed for cannabis use under the article 52 of the penal code; more than 7000 Tunisians, or more than a third of the incarcerated population. For the most part, these prisoners are college-aged men who were denied their right to freedom and education for the simple mistake of smoking a joint. Once incarcerated, these vulnerable individuals are often subjected to multiple forms of abuse and brainwashing, especially from Islamist fundamentalists. As can be shown by the exemple of Fakhri El-Ghezal, Atef Maatallah and Ala Eddine Slim, acquitted by the Court after being sentenced on December 8 for drug consumption. The three artists accused had been sentenced to the minimum sentence of one year imprisonment and 1,000 dinars Tunisian fine. In late November, two other artists, Adnen Meddeb and Amine Mabrouk, were detained and charged under the same law when police found tobacco leaves on the pair, the presiding judge ruled that this was a drugs-related offence and delivered the mandatory one-year sentence.

If the law’s way of dealing with cannabis users seems outdated, ineffective and rather destructive, it is totally unconstitutional when it comes to criminalizing homosexual relationships. The article 230 of the Tunisian Penal Code criminalizes sodomy and lesbianism, actes that are punishable by a maximum prison term of three years. This anti constitutional article violates the right to dignity and bodily integrity granted by the Article 23 of the Tunisian constitution. It also violates the Article 21 which declares the

principle of non-discrimination. Last month six Tunisian men were sentenced to three years in prison for sodomy after being subjected to anal exams.

Anal exams are considered as an act of torture by international human rights conventions and are discredited as unscientific by Amnesty International. The men were also banned from residing in their native city Kairouan, which is considered as a saint city for a period of five years.

The former minister of public health, Abdellatif Mekki, was called before Parliament to dissolve the association Shams, only actual association for LGBT rights, accusing them of threatening social peace. The government subsequently challenged the legal status of the association while it had all the authorizations required for its activity. The Minister in charge of the General Secretariat surprising even the reference to homosexuality by the members since it is condemned by Article 230 of the Tunisian Penal Code

In reaction to these last events, Tunisian social and mainstream

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