Tunisians observed the anniversary by organizing the peaceful marches. One may recall that Tunisian uprising began on Dec. 17, 2010, when a harassed fruit vendor set himself on fire and protests against the oppressive regime spread nationwide. Thereafter, within less than a month, President Ben Ali was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011.

 In Tunisia's capital, people marched shouting "Allahu Akbar" to celebrate freedom and remember more than 200 people killed in the uprising. Some Arab dignitaries like Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the head of Libya's interim government, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, also joined for official anniversary ceremonies. The current President Moncef Marzouki said that the democratic process that had begun a year ago was irreversible and country's dark period was over.