The last few weeks have been fraught for the people of Tunisia, an enclave of economic prosperity and unusual political serenity in its neighbourhood. Since a young man committed suicide after having his livelihood – a simple fruit and vegetable stall – shut down by police in the town of Sidi Bouzid, a few hundred kilometres from the capital Tunis, years of frustration at a corrupt and oppressive regime have been let loose and the tension has reached a dangerous level. In return for protests, the Tunisian regime has cracked down yet further, using live rounds of ammunition on protestors, killing up to 50 over the weekend according to reports.

As a progressive, a democrat and a proponent of a values-based liberal foreign policy, I have found myself asking repeatedly: where is the solidarity? Condemnation from human rights organisations has of course been forthcoming, and the Tunisian ambassador to the United States has been called in for a grilling, yet we’ve heard not a peep from our Foreign Office ministers. Nor have we heard anything on the situation from a single MP, and the shadow cabinet foreign affairs team doesn’t have a position on the issue. Press coverage has been ‘light’ to say the least.

I’m certain that if the protests, and the heavy-handed tactics in response to those protests, were happening in China, Russia or Iran, we would have wall-to-wall press coverage and high-minded Labour politicians might have an opinion on the matter.

Tunisia, and neighbouring Algeria (which has also started to see protests in the last few days), has barely any geopolitical or business importance for the UK. There are few British business interests in the small country of 10.4 million people. The average Brit knows little more about Tunisia than its sandy beaches, and its somewhat exotic nature as a holiday destination, made attractive by the short two-hour flight from the UK. It comes as no surprise that press and political coverage of the murder of protestors there has been slim; no surprise, but there is no excuse – it is the moral and ethical duty of all democrats everywhere to stand up for the voiceless. It is especially so in the Labour party, considering our history of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with people living under similar conditions in other countries during the last century.

Tunisia has, since 1987 been ruled autocratically by President Ben Ali, who has skilfully answered internal and external critics, until now at least. The bargain for the west in keeping quiet was that a strong Tunisian government reduces the threat of terror emerging from the Maghreb – the bargain for Tunisians who have pushed for internal reform being that jobs and prosperity would be available for all. Both of those bargains have been undermined; recent Wikileaks documents have shed light on the activities of the regime; the threat of terror coming from Tunisia is make-believe considering the political history and ethnic and religious make-up of the country.

The time is nigh for western progressives to say goodbye to Ben Ali and his family. Labour might not be in power but Labour MPs and progressive-minded people in the UK can make a bit of noise – we can show our government that we want them to stand up for human rights of all people, not just those in countries with some sort of political or foreign affairs importance to the UK. If Tunisians can take to the streets knowing they are threatened with lethal violence, at the very least we can pressure our own politicians to condemn the actions of the Tunisian regime, and pressure the Tunisian government to respect the human rights of its people.