Posts Categorized: Crossover Initiative

A Tunisian Minister from Civil Society

When the Tunisian revolution succeeded in toppling the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14, 2011, and the democratic transition train started, we had to develop three main establishments without which any democracy would not succeed: democratic parties, free media, and an active civil society, and this challenge was not of…

Things I Learned After Crossing Over

Commonly, when members of civil society move into the government, they are considered outsiders, especially those who are appointed and not democratically elected. In a way, that is true. When you are inside a government, which you won with a strong electoral mandate, there was no alternative but to respect the presidential authority and, subsequently,…

Supporting human rights as an Ombudsman in Georgia

After the change of the Georgian government in October 2012, the new administration declared human rights as a priority. I was nominated by 24 NGOs to become the Ombudsman, or Public Defender, and was appointed by the Parliament in December 2012. We had a unique opportunity to improve the human rights situation in the country…

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