Radhia Nasraoui ( aeb, راضية النصراوي; born 1953) is a Tunisian lawyer specializing in human rights, who militates particularly against the use of torture.

Struggle for human rights

In the 1970s, Radhia Nasraoui started campaigning for human rights, when the regime of President

Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Tu ...

banned demonstrations by students and workers. In 1976, she managed to convince her employing firm to defend students who are accused. Two years later, in the aftermath of the

Black Thursday Black Thursday is a term used to refer to typically negative, notable events that have occurred on a Thursday. It has been used in the following cases: *6 February 1851, bushfires in Victoria, Australia. *18 September 1873, during the Panic ...

, a general strike accompanied by bloody riots and resulting in many deaths, Nasraoui opened her own firm. She was one of the founders of the Association against Torture in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

announced that 26 June 2003. Appointed president, she denounced what she sees as the "systematic

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

" practiced in her country since the accession to power of President Ben Ali 7 November 1987. Due to her professional activities in favor of human rights in Tunisia, Radhia Nasraoui continued to be exposed to repression and police brutality. The

U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women reported: From 15 October to 10 December 2003, she went on

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

"to protest against government agents' burglarizing of her office and terrorizing her family and to demand that justice should be done after a physical assault suffered in July" she put an end to the strike on the day of the commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...

. Radhia Nasraoui continued to be exposed to state repression until the revolution of 2011 marked the fall of President Ben Ali. During this period, she was considered as a lawyer and activist against

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

and one of Tunisia's most renowned opinion leaders of the Arab Spring. Even after the revolution, she continued to denounce cases of torture and mistreatment of prisoners. She is also a member of the sponsorship committee of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine which work began 4 March 2009.

Personal life

Radhia Nasraoui is married to

Hamma Hammami Hamma Hammami ( ar, حمّه الهمامي; born 8 January 1952) is a Tunisian communist, leader a of the Popular Front, spokesman of the Tunisian Workers' Party, and former editor of the party news organ ''El-Badil''. Activities Hammami was i ...

, the secretary general of the Workers' Party since 1981, and they have three daughters, Nadia, Sarah and Oussaïma.

Honors and awards

* On 16 November 2005, Nasraoui received an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad ho ...

by the Belgian Université libre de Bruxelles for her defense of human rights and her struggle for the emancipation of Tunisian women. * On 25 January 2013, she received the

Olof Palme Prize The Olof Palme Prize is an annual Swedish prize awarded for an outstanding achievement in the spirit of Olof Palme. The Prize consists of a diploma and 100,000 US dollars. The prize was established in February 1987 and is awarded by the Olof Palm ...

for Human Rights.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nasraoui, Radhia 1953 births Living people People from Tunis Tunisian women lawyers Tunisian women activists Tunisian human rights activists People of the Tunisian Revolution Olof Palme Prize laureates 20th-century Tunisian lawyers 21st-century Tunisian lawyers 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers