Tunisian truth commission receives 20,600 complaints

Some 20,600 complaints have been filed to Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission since it opened a year ago, its chairperson revealed yesterday.

“The commission and its offices have received 22,600 complaints from victims across the country,” Sihem Bensedrine told reporters.

Bensedrine said the commission has decided to extend the deadline for another six months to allow more victims to submit their complaints, expecting the total number of complaints to reach 30,000.

She explained that the commission has heard more than 1,800 complaints, noting that it has to hear all the cases within a year and a half.

According to Bensedrine, the complaints include all forms of violations committed by Islamists, nationalists, leftists and trade unionists between 1955-2013.

The Truth and Dignity Commission was established in 2013 to investigate human rights violations including murder, rape and all forms of sexual violence, torture, forced disappearances and extrajudicial executions.