Transitional Process and Human Rights Developments in the MENA Region: The Cases of Egypt and Tunisia

Abstract

A decade after the uprisings in the MENA region, the outcomes of the transitions from authoritarian systems are obscure and transitional countries are facing many challenges in the matter of the improvement of human rights practices in the region. This article looks at the transformation in the field of human rights after those 2011 uprisings and addresses the question of why the transitional process in the MENA region, which held the promise of the advancement of human rights, failed to improve human rights practices. It explores the impact of continuity and change in institutional frameworks and actors in Egypt and Tunisia on the protection of human rights during the transitional process, focusing mainly on constitution-making processes, transitional justice, and polarisation among various political actors with different ideological and political backgrounds.