,,iii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #caj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bf 7legislative day1 ,june #bd71 #bjbe ,mr4 ,durbin 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,welch1 and ,mr4 ,schiff7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,recognizing ,tunisia's leadership in the ,arab ,spring and expressing support for upholding its democratic principles and norms4 ,whereas ,tunisia gained its independence from ,france on ,march #bj1 #aief1 with ,habib ,bourguiba serving as ,prime ,minister1 before becoming ,tunisia's first ,president in #aieg2 ,whereas ,president ,bourguiba led ,tunisia through independence and the ensuing #cj years1 a period that included vast social reforms and restrictions on civil society and democratic participation2 ,whereas1 in #aihg1 ,prime ,minister ,zine ,el ,abdine ,ben ,ali deposed ,president ,bourguiba and named himself ,president of ,tunisia1 citing ,bourguiba's incompetence and failing health to justify his undemocratic actions2 ,whereas ,president ,ben ,ali was subsequently elected in #aihi and #aiid without genuine opposition1 and was re-elected in #aiii1 #bjjd1 and #bjji by implausibly high vote margins in election processes that were widely deemed as neither free nor fair2 ,whereas ,president ,ben ,ali's rule was marred by gross human rights violations and a lack of democratic freedoms2 ,whereas the #bjjc ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices1 released by the ,department of ,state on ,february #be1 #bjjd1 stated1 referring to ,tunisia-- 7#a7 ,elections are regularly characterized by notable irregularities1 including voter intimidation1 and there is no secret ballot42 7#b7 ,security forces physically abused1 intimidated1 and harassed citizens who voiced public criticism of the ,government42 7#c7 ,the ,government continued to impose significant restrictions on freedom of speech and the press42 and 7#d7 ,the ,government remained intolerant of public criticism and used physical abuse1 criminal investigations1 the court system1 arbitrary arrests1 residential restrictions1 and travel controls 7including denial of passports7 to discourage criticism by human rights and opposition activists42 ,whereas1 on ,december #ag1 #bjaj1 #bf-year-old fruit and vegetable street vendor ,mohamed ,bouazizi lit himself on fire in desperate protest in ,sidi ,bouzid1 ,tunisia1 an act that was largely seen as the beginning of the ,arab ,spring movement that spread throughout the region2 ,whereas ensuing popular protests in ,tunisia in response to corruption1 repression1 and economic failure-- 7#a7 forced the resignation of ,president ,ben ,ali from the office of ,president2 7#b7 ended his #bc-year rule2 and 7#c7 further inspired similar pent up democratic demands throughout the ,arab world2 ,whereas ,tunisia emerged from the ,arab ,spring as one of the most hopeful and promising reformed democracies in the region1 including with an interim government and a ,constituent ,assembly responsible for drafting a new constitution and fostering political compromise for a future democratic government2 ,whereas1 in ,february #bjaa1 ,senator ,john ,mc,cain urged ,united ,states support for ,tunisia's democratic transition1 noting ,the revolution in ,tunisia has been very successful and it has become a model for the region42 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjaa1 ,united ,nations ,secretary ,general ,ban ,ki-moon pledged full support for ,tunisia's transition to democracy1 hailing the country's revolution as the spark that lit the profound and dramatic changes sweeping the ,arab world2 ,whereas1 on ,january #bf1 #bjad1 the ,constituent ,assembly of ,tunisia adopted a new constitution demonstrating consensus for building a democracy founded on freedom and equality2 ,whereas the new constitution of ,tunisia includes ,articles that-- 7#a7 give equal rights to men and women2 7#b7 protection freedoms of assembly1 peaceful demonstration1 expression1 and publication2 and 7#c7 outline an electoral system and representation for the ,tunisian people with checks and balances2 ,whereas1 in ,november #bjad1 ,tunisia held its first genuinely free and fair presidential election since its independence in #aief1 with #bg candidates freely competing for the office of president2 ,whereas longtime politician ,beji ,caid ,essebsi won the election in a runoff with #ee percent of the vote1 becoming ,tunisia's first legitimately elected president since independence2 ,whereas ,president ,essebsi faced many difficult challenges1 including economic turmoil1 terrorist attacks1 and public expectations for change2 ,whereas public disillusionment with the country's political elites increased amid continued corruption and devastating acts of terrorism that severely hurt the tourism industry and larger economy2 ,whereas political outsider and constitutional law professor ,kais ,saied won the presidential election held on ,october #ac1 #bjai1 and was sworn into office #aj days later in a peaceful transfer of power2 ,whereas1 by #bjba1 protests in response to worsening economic conditions1 further exacerbated by the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 occurred across cities in ,tunisia1 to which the police responded violently2 ,whereas1 in ,july #bjba1 ,president ,saied capitalized on unrest to unilaterally seize power by-- 7#a7 dismissing ,prime ,minister ,hichem ,mechichi2 7#b7 suspending ,parliament for #cj days2 and 7#c7 assuming full executive authority without first consulting the government2 ,whereas1 in late #bjba1 ,president ,saied indefinitely suspended ,parliament and transferred all legislative powers to himself2 ,whereas1 in early #bjbb1 ,president ,saied continued to undermine ,tunisia's democratic institutions1 including by taking control of the ,independent ,high ,authority for ,elections and dissolving the ,high ,judicial ,council2 ,whereas1 in ,july #bjbb1 ,president ,saied unilaterally put to a referendum a new draft constitution1 which-- 7#a7 consolidated power to the presidency2 7#b7 limited parliamentary authority2 and 7#c7 diminished judicial independence2 ,whereas the new draft constitution was approved despite remarkably low voter turnout and heavy domestic and international criticism surrounding the lack of genuine debate throughout the drafting process2 ,whereas1 between #bjba and #bjbd1 ,tunisia experienced-- 7#a7 a dramatic drop in voter participation and public confidence in the political process2 and 7#b7 an escalation in politically motivated arrests of political opponents1 judges1 lawyers1 journalists1 and business leaders in an effort to stifle dissent2 ,whereas prior to ,tunisia's presidential elections in ,october #bjbd1 ,president ,saied relied on legal texts he introduced or drafted to disqualify or jail nearly all of his political opponents2 ,whereas ,president ,saied won a second term on ,october #f1 #bjbd1 winning #ij4g percent of the vote with a #bh4h percent voter turnout1 which was the lowest turnout since the #bjaa revolution2 ,whereas1 in ,april #bjbe1 ,tunisian authorities handed down mass convictions to #dj individuals1 including a ,united ,states citizen1 who were primarily human rights defenders1 lawyers1 and prominent political opposition figures1 following a politically motivated trial marred with a lack of due process and procedural flaws2 and ,whereas ,president ,saied's authoritarian actions continue to dramatically undermined and threaten what remains of ,tunisia's nascent democratic institutions3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes ,tunisia as the symbolic birthplace of the historic ,arab ,spring movement and the country's notable democratic reforms that emerged during the ,arab ,spring period2 7#b7 commends the ,tunisian people for their courage and democratic achievements made in the immediate years following the ,arab ,spring2 7#c7 expresses deep concern for dramatic reversals of such democratic gains1 including-- 7,a7 the erosion of judicial independence2 7,b7 political repression and arrests2 and 7,c7 the undemocratic consolidation of power2 7#d7 urges the ,government of ,tunisia-- 7,a7 to release all political prisoners2 7,b7 to respect the rights of the people to free exercise of peaceful assembly1 expression1 and the press2 and 7,c7 to restore and respect the independence of electoral1 judicial1 and anti-corruption institutions2 7#e7 supports the ,tunisian people in their constitutionally protected right to peacefully demonstrate2 and 7#f7 urges the ,trump ,administration to sanction those ,tunisian officials who have been primarily involved in repression of peaceful democratic activities4