Don’t see all the text in your chosen language? The Toolbox is continually evolving, and it seems that we have not fully translated this entry yet! Get in touch to volunteer to translate more pieces!
အတိုချုံးပြောရရင်
In 2012, Tunisian anti-corruption campaigners used blogs, flash mobs and lobbying of National Constituent Assembly deputies to enshrine the right to freedom of information in the post-revolution constitution.
In 2011, Tunisians overthrew corrupt dictator Zine Abidine Ben Ali. The following year, as the new National Constituent Assembly was drafting a post-revolution constitution, the anti-corruption citizens’ group I Watch launched a campaign called Dhawili (“Turn on the lights” in Arabic) to establish the right to freedom of information.
I Watch believes that effective citizen democracy starts with public access to information; because if you have this right, and you practice it, you can hold accountable those who want to hide corrupt acts behind a veil of secrecy. We wanted to send a message that “the corrupt will run out of places to hide if we are aware of our right to know.”
We began with a teaser campaign on the Internet to get the public’s attention, then moved into the streets. In one visibility action, we walked through the streets in black blindfolds, holding signs like: “Know Your Rights.” In another, we held up the word Dhawili (turn on the lights) with candles after sunset. Then we lobbied the legislature. Seeing bad regulations as the enemy, not the deputies, we won the support of key members of both parties, who in turn won over their colleagues. Shortly thereafter: Victory!