The fragility of the international norms on Transitional Justice: A case study of Tunisia.

This thesis analyses the fragility of international norms of Transitional Justice through the case study of Tunisia after the 2011 revolution. It examines why Tunisia’s Transitional Justice framework, initially viewed as one of the most promising outcomes of the Arab Spring, weakened after 2019, especially after President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power in 2021. The study uses a qualitative single-case study and process tracing to connect theories of norm life-cycle, diffusion, localisation, contestation, hollowing and erosion with theories of regime transformation, hybrid regimes, democratic backsliding, and executive centralisation. The analysis shows that Tunisia formally institutionalised Transitional Justice through legal reforms, specialised commissions and judicial chambers, as well as civil society engagement. However, these norms were only partially internalised within political institutions, the judiciary, state administration, and society. After 2019, earlier weaknesses were intensified by centralisation of presidential power, the weakening of judicial independence, the dismantling or neutralisation of oversight bodies, restrictions on civil society, and the declining prioritisation of accountability by international actors. The Tunisian case demonstrates that international justice norms may be formally adopted and internationally supported, while still remaining vulnerable to erosion, hollowing, and partial dismantling when political conditions change.