So begins the annual “Internet Enemies” report by Reporters Without Borders–and that’s probably the cheeriest line in the entire 39-page […]
Tunisia’s bloggers defy state censors
Foreign tourists know Tunisia for its sunny beaches, ancient ruins and one of the Arab world’s most liberal societies. But for Tunisians, life is a daily tiptoe through a minefield of political taboos enforced by a vast security apparatus and heavily censored media. Now the country’s drive to embrace the internet is giving Tunisians an unexected new outlet to challenge authority.
Tunisia’s job crisis sparks dissent
Once a fortnight, Leila Khaled, a Tunisian housewife, comes down from Tunis, the capital, to the dusty mining region of Gafsa, to visit her son Muthafer Labidi in jail. The rest of the time, she holds vigil at a Tunis hospital where her husband, Bechir Labidi, a trade union leader, lies ailing and handcuffed in his bed.
Tunisian media is becoming more “Islamized”
In a recent report that surveyed radio listeners in Tunisia, the Sigma Consulting Center found that “Zaytouna” – a private religious radio station – topped the list with 12.1 percent audience share throughout the country. Private variety radio station Mosaic came close with 11.3 percent, followed by government-backed radio station […]
Lutfi Hajji: Tunis does not tolerate independent media
In the past few weeks, Tunisian authorities have tightened their grip on independent media. Among the government actions have been […]
Interview with Maya Jribi, Leader of the Progressive Democratic Party of Tunisia: “Our Youth Have Neither Hope Nor Future”
“In Tunisia, the youth have lost hope and prospects. The movement of Gafsa is a matter of the whole society.” […]
Tunisia: Appeal Court entrenches injustice by upholding unfair convictions
Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of trade union leaders and all those imprisoned for peacefully exercising […]
North Africa: are political websites more likely to get hacked?
Political opposition websites in North African countries, particularly in Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, are becoming a primary target of hackers. This new phenomenon of defacing opposition and dissident websites emerged first in Tunisia, where at least 14 websites and blogs were targeted between 2007 and 2008, and seems to be spreading across the region as a result of the attempt to muzzle free […]
Tunisia: Video message to Barack Obama
We all remember what the French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared, in his victory speech, shortly after winning the French presidential election in 2007: “I want to issue a call to everyone in the world who believes in the values of tolerance, freedom, democracy, humanism, to all those who are persecuted by tyranny, by dictatorships […] I want to tell them that it will be France’s pride and its duty to be at their side.
Belgian court petitioned to arrest Livni upon arrival in Brussels
European attorneys have reportedly petitioned a Belgian court to arrest Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni upon her arrival in Brussels later […]
Staff Finds White House in the Technological Dark Ages
Washingtonpost.com : Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts. What […]
Gaza – Map of Bombing Intensity & Casualties, Dec. 27 -12 Jan, 2009
The following map shows the bombing intensity and casualties in Gaza strip between December 27th and January 12th. The map […]
Robert Fisk: Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignored
We’ve got so used to the carnage of the Middle East that we don’t care any more – providing we […]
Online censorship protest turns into debate among Tunisian bloggers
Tunisians mounted a new online protest on December 25th, inviting bloggers to publish a blank post signifying censorship. Critics say […]
Tunisie : Les droits de l’homme tunisien torturent Sarko
« L’espace des libertés progresse. » C’était le jugement de Sarko en visite à Tunis, en avril dernier. Visiblement, notre […]
Les marges désobéissantes : Vraies accoucheuses du changement !
Tout, ou presque, a été dit sur le mouvement social du bassin minier de Gafsa… Tout, sauf l’essentiel. Cette assertion peut paraître, pour certains, provocatrice, voire même arrogante. Mais il n’en est rien. Elle est le résultat d’un constat objectif aussi douloureux que navrant !
Furor Over Tunisian Blog Awards Censorship
The Tunisian blogosphere is up in arms over this year’s annual Tunisian Blog Awards. They accuse organizers of soliciting the […]
You, too, can defeat cruel dictators online
The extensive palace complex of Tunisia’s septuagenarian dictator, President Zine el-Abidine ben Ali, for example, is off limits to his citizens. Anyone caught taking photographs of the vast complex are likely to be arrested. But cyberspace is beyond President ben Ali’s reach. There his palace is besieged by human rights activists.
