Freedom - Hurriya

The Compass

Across the region in 2011, protesters in their hundreds and thousands were all asking for the same thing - their freedom. Journalist Abubakr al-Shamahi and presenter Ella al-Shamahi examine how far human rights have progressed in the countries of the Arab Spring, turning first to the country so often held up as the success story of the Spring - Tunisia. Women were central to the mobilisation of protests here; Abubakr and Ella speak to activists and lawmakers to find out whether women are better off now than under Ben Ali’s dictatorship, which crumbled in 2011.

Then to Egypt, where quickly after the euphoria that erupted with the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians witnessed a military coup that plummeted the country into an even tougher political climate. How do Egyptians keep hope alive now?

Producers: Sasha Edye-Lindner and Gaia Caramazza

(Photo: Supporters of Nahda Movement attend a rally marking the eighth anniversary of the Arab Spring, Tunis. Credit: Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)