A larger prison

The Tunisian government is largely intolerant of any form of real or perceived political dissent. The powerful state security system expends much time and resources on quelling any individual or group seen as being a challenge to the state. Those convicted of politically motivated offenses are frequently subject to a wide range of arbitrary restrictions following their release from prison. The scope of these restrictions exceeds what is permitted within the framework of 'administrative control,' a regime imposed by courts as part of a sentence. The onerous restrictions have led many ex-prisoners to describe themselves as having moved to 'a larger prison.' The measures taken by the authorities include constant police surveillance and harassment, oral orders from the police confining ex-prisoners to their home district, arbitrary deprival of passports, sign-in requirements at police stations that disrupt daily life, and, reportedly, pressure on employers to refrain from hiring these ex-prisoners. Ex-prisoners who object to these measures have few remedies. Prevented from finding work and from traveling or relocating for a job, many ex-prisoners and their families are reduced to a life of poverty. In some cases, constant police surveillance and questioning of their families and neighbors have turned them into social pariahs.