Recently Tunisia passed a truly historic constitution widely heralded as a progressive and monumental document.
Here’s just some of what these brave elected representatives agreed upon in the face of strong pressure from the more extreme factions of their parties:
- Guaranteed equality between men and women
- A constitutional mandate for environmental protection, only the third country in the world to do so
- A declaration that health care is a human right, with preventative care and treatment for every citizen
- A democracy with civil laws that respects freedom of religion
- An established right to due process and protection from torture
[Unfortunately, the U.S. falls short on some of these goals. Let’s hope we and Tunisia can truly achieve all of them soon.]
In one stroke, Tunisia’s become more democratic than many Western countries have been for years.
This is a revolution of democracy and a great victory for human rights — and the more we recognize that, the more Tunisia can shine as an example for the Western and the Arab world!
From http://act.watchdog.net/petitions/4238?n=61068103.4ibRdx