Global Voices » Tunisia

Tunisia: Campaign for Freedom of Expression Launched

Afef Abrougui — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:10:26 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

The collective blog Nawaat, and IFEX-TMG (the Tunisia Monitoring Group of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange) have launched a campaign for freedom of speech in Tunisia, which remains under threat despite gains made during the last year.

Nawaat introduced [fr] the campaign:

À l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de la liberté de la presse et en soutien à la libre parole en Tunisie, une campagne publique en faveur de la liberté d’expression est lancée du 1er au 15 mai 2012. Cette campagne est menée par Nawaat et le Groupe d’observation de la Tunisie organisé par l’Échange international de la liberté d’expression (TMG de l’IFEX), une coalition de 21 membres de l’IFEX. Cette campagne est également soutenue par l’Union européenne et Oxfam Novib

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, and in support of free speech in Tunisia, a public campaign for freedom of expression was launched on May 1, and will continue until May 15, 2012. The camapign is run by Nawaat, and the Tunisian Monitoring Group (TMG) of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a coalition of 21 members of IFEX. The campaign is also supported by the European Union, and OXFAM Novib

"It was for an entire generation, but no more!", composed of avatars of Tunisian Twitter users. Image from Nawaat.org

Ads in Tunisian newspapers, billboard campaigns in the streets, and videos advocating freedom of expression are all part of this initiative. In addition, an anthology called Fleeting Words, bringing together articles, commentaries and poems written during and after the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been published. The campaign also includes a series of trainings and workshops.

The campaign comes 18 months after the fall of the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a long time enemy of freedom of speech. During these 18 months, gains for freedom of expression have been made. These gains include uncensored web access, the emergence of a culture of protest, an increase in the number of media outlets, and a flourishing of art, such as the art of caricature which has witnessed a boom since Ben Ali's departure.

The old practices, however, are far from over. In February, for instance, three journalists from the Arabic daily Attounisia were arrested for publishing a front page photo of Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira with his naked girlfriend. And on May 3 (World Press Freedom Day) a court in Tunis fined the owner of Nessma TV over the broadcast of the Iranian-French animated film Persepolis.

Index on Censorship, a member of IFEX-TMG, commented:

The need for continuing work in the sector was underlined by the prosecution of Nabil Karoui, director of privately-owned Nessma TV for blasphemy and disturbing public order.

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: TV Station Chief Sued for Broadcasting ‘Persepolis'

Salah Almhamdi — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:12:40 +0000

On May 3, 2012, Tunisian courts will announce the verdict in the trial of Nabil Karoui, owner of the private channel Nessma TV, who has been prosecuted for broadcasting the animated film Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

Scenes in the film depict God visiting in a dream and appearing in human form. The broadcast created a lot of anger, and a complaint was filed by 144 lawyers and others. The trial was delayed many times, but the verdict will be announced on May 3 - which is World Press Freedom Day. If convicted, Karoui faces up to three years in prison.

Persepolis was broadcast at around the same time that Ennahda won a majority of seats in parliament, and some saw it as a political statement associating Tunisia with Iran, and a warning for Tunisians to “stay moderate and vigilant”.

Nabil Karoui talking to journalists in front of the courthouse in Tunis. Photo by machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

In a blog post entitled “Nessma Trial: Luckily the Ridiculous Doesn't Kill” [fr], blogger and activist Lina Ben Mhenni commented on the trial proceedings:

Maître Raja Haj Mansour a été la première avocate de la partie civile à donner un plaidoyer comique dans lequel elle a expliqué que son fils a fait trois nuits blanches successives après avoir regardé le film “Persepolis” et que c'est lui qui lui a demandé de porter plainte contre Nabil Karoui. Par la suite d'autres avocats ont donné des plaidoyers dignes du Moyen-Age.

Raja Haj Mansour was the first lawyer for the plaintiff to give a comic plea in which she explained that her son had had three successive sleepless nights after watching the film “Persepolis”, and it was he who asked her to sue Nabil Karoui. Subsequently other lawyers provided arguments worthy of the Middle Ages.

Myriam Meziou joked:

@myriammeziou: le fils de Raja mansour a eu une crise car il a vu persepolis!!!! que va-t-il lui arriver qd il regardera son 1er Porno? #nessma

The son of Raja Mansour had an emotional crisis because he saw Persepolis!!!! What will happen to him when he watches his first porno? #nessma

Doctor and politician Zeineb Turki wrote:

@ZeinebTurki: Il est utile de rappeler qu'il ne s'agit pas du procès de #nessma ni de celui de #Persepolis mais celui de la liberté d'expression

It's useful to remember that this is not about the trial of #nessma nor that of #Persepolis but of the freedom of expression

From Paris, Anissa B. tweeted:

@beautifultango7: Verdict due today in #Persepolis trial. Key test of freedom of speech in #Tunisia. #NessmaTV

The following video from Nawaat features protests against the broadcast of Persepolis:

UPDATE: Nabil Karoui has been fined [fr] 2,400 dinars (1200 euros). His lawyer will appeal.

Some reactions:

@HouyemTN: Condamner le film #Persepolis en taxant Nabil Karoui, quelle décision honteuse. Vive la #liberteDexpression. #Nessma #Tunisie

Condemning the film Persepolis by fining Nabil Karoui, what a shameful decision. Long live freedom of expression.

@Artkore_: 2400 DT… C'est le prix de la Libérté d'expression ? Faites Des Réserves #Nessma #freepress

2400 dinars… This is the price of freedom of speech? Start saving.

@FelFel_: Bref, je pense que le verdict est “un joli” compromis. #NessmaTrial

Briefly, I think the verdict is a “pretty” compromise.

@Out__rage: Dans l'affaire #Nessma, tout le monde s'en sort. Sauf la liberté d'expression. C'est seulement le début de l'agonie chers compatriotes.

In the Nessma case, everyone comes out well. Except for freedom of expression. This is only the beginning of the agony, dear compatriots.

May Day Marked Around the Arab World

Ayesha Saldanha — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:25:02 +0000

May Day, or Labour Day, or International Workers' Day is recognised as a public holiday in many Arab countries, and demonstrations and rallies are held by unions and political parties to pay tribute to the role of workers and to call for workers' rights.

The National Transitional Council of Libya has declared [ar] International Workers' Day to be a national public holiday starting this year. Hamid tweeted from Tripoli:

@2011feb17: #Libya's first #MayDay (Worker's Day) holiday since 42 years ago! HAPPY HOLIDAY EVERYONE Yup #Libya has changed ;)

Demonstration on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Tunis. Image by Amine Ghrabi on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

Bahraini activist Maryam Alkhawaja remembered the migrant workers of the Gulf:

@MARYAMALKHAWAJA: On labor day we pay tribute to all the migrant workers who r treated like modern day slaves in #gulf countries

Demonstration in Barbar, Bahrain. Image by Twitter user @bahrainiac14.

Demonstrations were held all over Bahrain demanding the reinstatement of the hundreds of workers who were fired last year for taking part in protests. Many of the demonstrations were attacked by riot police with tear gas. Journalist Mazen Mahdi reported from Manama's souq (market):

@MazenMahdi: Despite tear-gasing #Manama souq labor day protest still on-going #Bahrain

Demonstration in Khouribga, Morocco. Image by Twitter user @__Hisham.

Imad Bazzi tweeted about the hacking of the Lebanese Ministry of Labour's website:

@TrellaLB: special delivery for the Ministry of Labor in #Lebanon on Labor day, a total makeover :D loooool http://www.labor.gov.lb/ thanks to #RYV

The website was changed to say the following:

We are RYV, short for Raise Your Voice, and we are simply a group of people who could not bare sitting in silence, watching all the crimes and injustice going on in Lebanon. We will not be silenced and brainwashed by your media. We will not stop until the Lebanese people mobilize, demand their rights, and earn them. We will not stop until the standards of living are raised to where they should be in Lebanon. We will not stop until this government's self-made problems are solved, like the power shortage, water shortage, rise in gas prices and rise in food product prices. We are RYV, expect us to break the silence, whether in the streets or on the Internet.
Silence is a crime

Demonstration in Cairo. Image by Hossam el-Hamalawy on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Tunisia: Clashes Over Future of State Television

Salah Almhamdi — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:11:06 +0000

On April 25 a sit-in outside the offices of Tunisia's state television network that had lasted almost eight weeks came to an end. Protestors had claimed that Al Wataniya television supported the ousted Ben Ali dictatorship and demanded its “cleansing”. After the government vowed to address their concerns, the protestors finally agreed to leave.

Critics argue that state media, and in particular the prime-time news on Al Wataniya, is prejudiced against Ennahda, the ruling party. The network has been accused of denigrating the government's work. The protests outside Wataniya had grown increasingly tense, with protestors brandishing mops and bottles of bleach, demanding to “cleanse” the broadcaster, and attacking journalists.

An announcement by a representative of Ennahda regarding the possible privatisation of state television led to violent clashes. The protestors were then asked to leave, and the government promised to respond to their demands, including the issues of financial and administrative corruption and employees who had been involved in making pro-Ben Ali propaganda in the past.

Tents in front of Tunisian state television network. Image from tuniculture.net (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).

Bilmirssad questioned the efficacy of the sit-in:

@Boukacheche_TN: أن تطالب بتطهبر ذاتي للتلفزة دون الكشف عن عناصر الفساد فيها فذلك يعني أن هدفك ابتزاز موظفيها بملفاتهم ليكونوا في صفك ‎‪#Tunisie‬‏ ‎‪#TTN‬‏

To demand self-cleansing of the television without revealing the elements of corruption inside it means that your objective is to blackmail its professionals with their files in order for them to be in your side

After making the protestors end their sit-in, the government called for a national consultation about the media. Twitter user @tn_revo tweeted:

@tn_revo: فضيحة: الحكومة تستعين لإصلاح الاعلام بأشخاص ساهموا في تدجينه

Scandal: To reform the media, the government gets the help of people who contributed to taming it

Strategy consultant Selim Tanfous tweeted:

@Foustanovitch: Sinon.personne ne trouve que la privatisation de la #TTN est une énième tentative de dérouter l opinon publique vers d autres occupations?

Does no one find that the privatisation of #TTN [Tunisia's national television] is another attempt to divert public opinion towards other preoccupations?

Tunisian television "for sale". Image by Flickr user Mourad Dachraoui (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Mohamed Nidhal Bettaieb criticised the government's dissatisfaction with the media:

@NidhalBettaieb: Sinon le #tnGov n'arrête pas d'insulter la #TTN , mais ne cesse d'être présent sur ses plateaux

The Tunisian government doesn't stop insulting #TTN, but continues to stand on its podiums

Mehdi Charfi tweeted:

@___mehdi: bcp de bruit sur privatisation des medias publics.. je pense que meme pas en rêve, et ils le savent tres bien, c juste pour “faire peur”#TTN

A lot of buzz about the privatisation of the state media… I don't think even in their dreams, and they know it very well, it's just to create fear

Tunisia: Uproar at Kiss of President's Hand

Afef Abrougui — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:54:29 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Outrage, shock, and disgust; this is what Tunisian netizens felt when a YouTube video featuring two men kissing the hand of President Moncef Marzouki appeared on April 26, 2012. The video features Marzouki making an unexpected visit to a public market.

As he enters the market, some in the crowd start screaming “Long Live the President”, and “Long Live Marzouki”. As he shakes hands with some of those who work there, two men kiss his hand. Hand-kissing was popular during the rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and is viewed as against the values of post-uprising Tunisia.

The Tunisian Presidency was the first to publish the controversial video via its YouTube channel. It then deleted it replacing it with another one in which no hand kisses occur. But it was too late; the video was already all over the web.

Mohamed Ali Chebâane was outraged:

@MedAliChebaane: Mr @Moncef_Marzouki, laisser un citoyen vous faire le baise main pendant une visite de terrain est écoeurant!

@MedAliChebaane: Mr @Moncef_Marzouki, allowing a citizen to kiss your hand during a visit is disgusting!

Moncef Marzouki Elected Interim President of Tunisia, Photo by Amine Landoulsi © Copyright Demotix (December 2011)

Emna Mejri felt the same:

@emnamejri: la vidéo de @Moncef_Marzouki 3ar 3ala tounes

@emnamejri: the video of @Moncef_Marzouki is a shame for Tunisia

Some believe that Marzouki is not to blame. Hamdi Gatri tweeted [ar]:

@hamdigatri: قبيل يد المرزوقي حركة يلام فاعلها و ليس الرئيس , نريد احترامًا و تقدير للرئيس لا تذللاً و عبدية

@hamdigatri: The perpetrator and not the president should be blamed for the hand kiss. We want respect and appreciation for the president, not groveling and subservience

Ghazi Hakim wrote [ar]:

@ElGueuzi: تقبيل يد المرزوقي دليل على أنه لا نجاح لثورة الشارع بدون ثورة العقول ‬‏

@ElGueuzi The kiss of Marzouki's hand is proof that the revolution of the street will not succeed without a revolution in people's minds

Blogger Fatma Riahi (who writes as Fatma Arabicca) asked the president a question [ar]:

@arabicca1:‏ صدر مرسوم الباي يوم 20 جوان 1860 بمنع “تقبيل اليد” سواء من قبل الرعيّة او الضيوف وأنت وقتاش ؟

@arabicca1: On June 20, 1860 the Bey issued a law forbidding “hand kisses” whether by the people, or guests - and you, when?

Blogger Emna Ben Jemaa likened Marzouki to ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in a post entitled “Long live mediocrity…Long live Marzouki” [fr]:

Une scène que je n’ai jamais oubliée, et pourtant j’étais très jeune
Ben Ali venait de faire son fameux discours du 7 novembre 1987, et une foule de tunisiens s’est mise à crier « Vive Ben Ali », il a souri et leur a dit « Non, dites Vive la Tunisie »
Quelques temps après, il s’est non seulement habitué à cela mais je suppose qu’il aurait même trouvé anormal que les gens ne crient pas à sa gloire
On s’est débarrassé fort heureusement du dictateur et de ses méthodes, et on a pour président PROVISOIRE un ancien militant des droits de l’homme. Mais…qu’est ce je vois sur la vidéo que je partage avec vous.
Marzouk s’offre son bain de foule, certains crient «Vive le président, Vive Marzouki !!! »…Et il ne réagit pas, il se limite à sourire fièrement.
Pire il tend sa main pour des baise mains ? Même Ben Ali retirait sa main quand certains voulaient l'embrasser. BAISE MAIN????
C’est quoi encore ce nouveau délire ?
Est-ce que notre destin c’est de vivre dans la médiocrité ?

Though I was very young, I have never forgotten this scene.
Ben Ali had just finished his famous speech of November 7, 1987, and a crowd of Tunisians started screaming “Long live Ben Ali!” He smiled and said to them, “No, say Long live Tunisia!”
After a short while, he not only got used to it, but I guess he would have found it unusual if people did not call out in praise of him.
Fortunately, we got rid of the dictator and his methods, and we now have for an INTERIM President a former human rights activist. But…this is what I saw in the video:
Marzouki walks through the crowd, some scream “long live the president, long live Marzouki!!!” He does not react; he just smiles proudly.
What is even worse is that he gives his hand for kisses? Even Ben Ali used to take his hand back when certain people sought to kiss it. A hand kiss???
What is this new mania?
Is it our destiny to live in mediocrity?

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Police Clash with Jobless Protestors in Radès

Salah Almhamdi — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:29:48 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

On April 13, 2012, police clashed with a group of young protestors from Cité El Mallaha in the port of Radès, just south of the capital Tunis and considered to be a suburb of it. The clashes started that night, a Friday, and continued into the following week. The protesters were staging a sit-in, demanding a share of some jobs which had been recently created in Radès port, near Cité El Mallaha.

The police fired tear gas at the protestors, dispersing them. They then chased them, even onto rooftops. Some protestors were detained, which led to further protests and clashes.

These clashes come just a few days after similar clashes over jobs erupted [ar] in the southern city of Moularès, and police violence against jobless protestors in Tunis.

Protesters in Cité El Mallaha in Radès. Photo from machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Blogger Tounsiahourra tweeted [ar]:

@tounsiahourra: ليلة دامية في حي الملاحة رادس -ضواحي تونس- تم فك اعتصام الشباب بالقوة وباستعمال الغاز مما تسبب في حالات اختناق المتساكنين داخل بيوتهم ‎‪#Rades‬‏

@tounsiahourra: A bloody night in Cité El Mallaha in Radès, a suburb of Tunis. The sit-in was broken up by force and by using tear gas which suffocated some residents inside their homes ‎‪#Rades

She added [ar]:

@tounsiahourra: سهام بن سدرين تطالب بتحقيق في قمع المعتصمين في حي الملاحة واقتحام بيوت المواطنين في الحي من قبل عناصر الأمن واستعمالهم العنف ضدهم ‎

@tounsiahourra: Sihem Ben Sidrine [human rights activist] demands an investigation into the repression of the protestors in Cité El Mallaha, as well as how police broke into the homes of citizens in the neighbourhood, and used violence against them

The following video from TunisByNightt shows police invading the streets of Cité El Mallaha in Radès:

The protestors reacted by pelting security forces with stones and Molotov cocktails. And blogger Haykel tweeted:

@Haykel7: markez ecchorta fel Maléha #Rades totalement brûlé hier #tunisie #tngov

@Haykel7: The police station in El Mallaha, #Rades was completely burned yesterday #tunisie #tngov

Twitter user Narjess expressed her fear about the increase in clashes between protesters and police:

@NJESSREB: La question qui se pose:vont-il prolonger l'état d urgence qui prend fin le 30 avril? #OmLaarayes #Rades #1Mai #Tourisme #Tunisie

@NJESSREB: We may well ask: will they [the government] extend the state of emergency which ends on April 30?

Media blackout

Blogger Wessim tweeted [ar]:

@Wessimsara: تعتيم على التلفزة التونسية حول أحداث حي الملاحة برادس

@Wessimsara: Media blackout by Tunisian national television of the incidents in Cité El Mallaha, Radès

Tounsiahourra criticized the media blackout [ar]:

@tounsiahourra: وفيما الغاز المسيل يغطي حي الملاحة برادس , تختار النشرة الاخبارية الجهوية لقناة تونس أن تبدأ بخبر عن موسم الحج واتصال مع وزير الشؤون الدينية

@tounsiahourra: While tear gas covers Cité El Mallaha in Radès, the regional news bulletin of Tunisia TV chooses to start with news of the Hajj season and a conversation with the Minister of Religious Affairs

Med Salah M'Barek tweeted:

@MidoxTheGeek:#Radès est à 10~15 km du siège de #TTN et aucune équipe n'a été envoyée pour couvrir les évènements !!!

@MidoxTheGeek: #Rades is 10-15km from the headquarters of #TTN [Tunisia's national TV] and no crew was sent to cover the events!!!

Official media openness

Tunisia's television channels may have ignored the events, but the government didn't. On Twitter Global Voices Advocacy Director Sami Ben Gharbia linked to photos published on Facebook by the Tunisian Interior Ministry.

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Neglect of Those Wounded in the Revolution

Salah Almhamdi — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:02:00 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisians have been expressing their dissatisfaction and anger regarding the government's poor treatment of those wounded during the Tunisian revolution. Before President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted hundreds of people were wounded in clashes with police, but they have since been neglected. Some of them have bullets still to be extracted from their bodies, and other had limbs amputated and are still waiting for prosthetic limbs. Many have not received the right medical treatment due to the complexity of their cases.

Prominent blogger and activist Lina Ben Mhenni wrote in a blog post entitled “The Wounded of the Revolution, Waiting for Something That Won't Come” [ar]:

منذ أكثر من سنة و جرحى الثورة التونسية يعانون من اهمال و لا مبالاة أولئك الذين توالوا على دفّة الحكم من مسؤولي حكومات مؤقّتة. فتعدّدت المبرّرات و تنوّعت و كأنّ العلاج و حلّ المشاكل الصحية لمن ضحّوا في سبيل الوطن و يحتمل الانتظار , فتذرّعت كلّ حكومة باسباب واهية فمن الحكومات من تعلّلت بأنّها وقتيّة و لا تملك الصلوحيّات الكاملة لاتخاذ التدابير اللازمة لعلاج هؤلاء الأبطال الذين واجهوا عنف البوليس و عرّضوا أجسادهم للرصاص الحيّ حالمين بتغيير أحوال البلاد فلجأ بعض الجرحى الأبطال الى النضال بأجسادهم مرّة أخرى ليضمنوا حقّهم الشرعيّ في العلاج و هو أبسط ما يمكن أن نقدّمه لهم فدخلوا في اضراب مفتوح عن الطعام قبيل الانتخابات بفترة قصيرة و ذلك بعد أن طرقوا جميع الأبواب التي أوصدت في وجوهم مرات و مرات.

For more than a year, those wounded in the Tunisian revolution have suffered from the neglect and indifference of those who came to power, the officials of the temporary governments. Justifications have varied and multiplied as if treating and solving the health problems of those who sacrificed themselves for the nation can wait. Each government has offered flimsy reasons; one of the governments said it was temporary and didn't have the powers to take the necessary measures to treat the heroes who faced police violence and exposed their bodies to live bullets, dreaming of changing the country's situation. So some of the wounded heroes resorted to fighting, once again using their bodies, to guarantee their legitimate right for treatment, which is the simplest thing we can offer them. After knocking on every door, which were shut in their faces again and again, they went on an open hunger strike [ar] shortly before the elections.

Sit-in by families of men wounded during the revolution. Photo from machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Tarek Dziri and Muslim Bin Fraj Kasdallah, who threatened to self-immolate in front of the National Constituent Assembly on April 18, before the government decided to send them abroad to get more advanced care. Photo from machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Blogger Hada Ana wrote about one case [ar]:

في تونس ما بعد الثورة, يموت جرحى ثورتنا في المستشفيات الغير مجهزة بمعدات قادرة على شفائهم .
اليوم في تونس ما بعد الثورة, و بعد صراع دام 8 أشهر قضها مقعد في فراشه و لا يجد من يتذكره ولا يواسيه في محنته, توفي جريح ثورتنا حسونة بن عمر

In post-revolution Tunisia, the wounded of our revolution die in the hospitals that don't have the equipment to treat them. Today in post-revolution Tunisia, after an eight-month fight spent in his bed, with no one to remember him and sympathize with his agony, Hassouna Ben Omar died.

Mohamed Bin Tijani El-Hanchi has a bullet inside his body. Photo from machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Rashad El-Arbi's parents went on hunger strike before the government took responsibility for his treatment. Photo from machhad.com (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Yassine Ayari tweeted scathingly about the ruling Ennahda party:

@yassayari: نواب النهضة بش يداويو جرحى الثورة بالقرأن و النشيد الوطني..

The Ennahda deputies will treat the revolution's wounded with the Qur'an and the national anthem…

Blogger Abdelkader Hammami mentioned a different side of the story [ar]:

وتنشر الصفحات القريبة من النهضة معلومات مثيرة لم نقدر على إثبات مصدرها جاء في بعضها: «من غرائب الثورة التونسية وجود 7 آلاف مطلب فوق مكتب سمير ديلو وزير حقوق الإنسان يدعي أصحابها أنهم جرحوا خلال الثورة، كثير منهم جرحوا في أحداث عنف لا علاقة لها بالثورة، ويجب أن تلاحقهم الدولة من أجل التحيل والابتزاز».

[Facebook] pages connected to Ennahda have published interesting information that we are not able to verify the source of, saying, “One of the peculiarities of the Tunisian revolution is the presence of seven thousand applications on the desk of Samir Dilou, Minister of Human Rights. The claimants say they were injured during the revolution, but many of them were injured in unrelated violent incidents, and the government should prosecute them for fraud and extortion.”

The following video [ar] by Melomanx features a sit-in by men wounded in the revolution in front of the Ministry of Human Rights and Transitional Justice on March 26, 2012:

This video [ar] from TunisiaTalks shows the agony of the revolution's wounded:

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Book Readers to the Streets!

Ahmed Medien — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:12:10 +0000

Following weeks of demonstrations in Tunis, a new event has been announced, called “L'avenue ta9ra”, or “The avenue reads”. The plan is for Tunisians to bring their books to Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the most symbolic thoroughfare of the capital, and take part in a collective reading session.

The announcement on the event's Facebook page says [fr]:

Et si on envahissait l'avenue ? Pas avec nos cris ni nos manifs mais avec nos livres.
L’idée est, comme d'habitude, simple: le mercredi 18 avril à 17h, on se déplace vers l'avenue, on s'installe dans les cafés, sur les bancs publics, sur les marches des escaliers, un livre à la main pendant une heure.
Pas la peine que l'on se connaisse, que l’on se parle…on va se reconnaitre par le fait d'avoir un livre à la main
Ça sera la première manif silencieuse sur l'avenue, sans revendication politique; prouver et montrer que les Tunisiens lisent, que ceux qui vont changer le monde sont ceux qui lisent.
Il est temps de rappeler que notre peuple est impliqué, cultivé et lettré.
Invitez vos amis, soyez nombreux, créons l'événement.
Tous à vos livres !!!!!

"L'avenue ta9ra" (The avenue reads). Image from event page on Facebook.

And what if we took over the avenue? Not with our chanting and demonstrations, but with our books.
As usual, the idea is simple: on Wednesday April 18 from 5pm, we'll head to the avenue, and for an hour sit in cafés, on benches, on steps, a book in hand.
It's not necessary to get to know each other, talk to each other…We'll recognise each other just by holding a book.
It will be the first silent demonstration on the avenue, with no political demand; we want to prove and show that Tunisians read, that those who will change the world are those that read.
It is time to remember that our people are engaged, educated and literate.
Invite your friends, come in great numbers, let's create the event.
To your books!!!

This event follows the recent lifting of the protest ban on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, as well as the brutal assault of peaceful demonstrators by the police. Unlike recent anti-government rallies, it claims to be apolitical.

Tunisian blogger Abdelkarim Benabdallah is behind a similar initiative called “Les amis du livre” (Friends of the book) [fr]. On Facebook the members share book suggestions, discuss their choices and organise votes to choose future locations for gathering.

There have been few cultural rallies in Tunisia since the uprisings of 2011. However, young Tunisians are once again taking the lead and intend to make these collective reading sessions more frequent and common across the country.

Tunisia: Relief at Lifting of Protest Ban

Salah Almhamdi — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:37:26 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisian netizens have expressed their relief at the lifting of the ban on protesting on Habib Bourguiba Avenue. The avenue is the main street of Tunis and was the location of a mass demonstration on the eve of the Tunisian Revolution. It recently witnessed a series of protests, by the jobless on April 7, by civil society activists on April 9 (Tunisia's Martyrs' Day), and by some members of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) on April 10.

The two last protests aimed to “liberate” the avenue. During the Martyrs' Day protest, violent clashes occured between protestors and police leaving many wounded, thus increasing tension and the desire for the ban to be lifted. The following day, members of the NCA marched in the street and met the Minister of Interior to discuss the events of April 9. On April 11 the government decided to lift the ban on protesting on the avenue.

Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Image by Flickr user Tab59 (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netizens have expressed their satisfaction at taking back the freedom to protest on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, but vowed not to let the matter rest.

Blogger and journalist Sofien Chourabi gave credit to the revolutionaries for the lifting of the protest ban:

@Sofien_Chourabi:بفضلكم يا أحرار تونس تم صباح اليوم الغاء قرار منع التظاهر في شارع الحبيب بورقيبة من طرف مجلس وزاري.

@Sofien_Chourabi: Because of you, Tunisia's free people, the ban on protesting on Habib Bourguiba Avenue was reversed this morning by a cabinet meeting

Journalist Tounsiahourra tweeted:

@tounsiahourra:اتحاد عام طلبة تونس يدشن قرار إلغاء منع التظاهرات في شارع بورقيبة , بالتظاهر امام المسرح البلدي ‎‪#UGET‬‏ #HBAVENUE

@tounsiahourra: The General Union of Tunisian Students [Union générale des étudiants tunisiens, UGET] greeted the decision to lift the ban on protesting on Bourguiba Avenue by protesting in front of the Municipal Theatre

The following video from WebdoTN shows the recommencement of protests on Habib Bourguiba Avenue. The UGET protesters gathered in front of the Municipal Theatre and chanted various slogans:

Prominent blogger and journalist Haythem El Mekki tweeted:

@ByLasKo: التراجع عن هذا القرار لاهو حكمة لاهو مزية، بل هو أقل القليل !!!

@ByLasKo: Reversing this decision is neither wisdom nor a favour - it's the least of the least!!!

Student Haykal Fakhfakh called for the resignation of Ali Larayedh, Tunisia's Minister of Interior:

@HaykalFakhfakh: L avenue bourguiba est libre maintenant passons a la demission du ministre de terreur #tunisie #9Avril

@HaykalFakhfakh: Habib Bourguiba Avenue is free now, let's move on to the resignation of the minister of terror #tunisie #9Avril

Journalist Emna Ben Jemaa calls for vigilance:

@Emnabenjemaa: Ne vous faites pas arnaquer par l annulation de l interdiction.faut que les responsables soient punis #MI

@Emnabenjemaa: Don't be fooled by the lifting of a single ban. The officials should be punished #MI

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Mixed Reactions to Hacking of Prime Minister's Emails

Salah Almhamdi — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:19:50 +0000

On April 8 Anonymous Tunisia (which claims affiliation with the hacking group Anonymous) hacked the emails of the Tunisian prime minister Hamadi Jebali. The movement dubbed it “Operation Touche pas à ma Tunise” (”Get Your Hands Off My Tunisia”) which is part of the broader “Operation Tunisia Back”.

Anonymous Tunisia logo

On the eve of the revolution in 2011 Anonymous members worldwide targeted several governmental websites in what was known as Operation Tunisia. Anonymous also recently launched online attacks against Tunisian Islamists. Now it has published 2,725 emails of Tunisia's ruling Ennahda party online, including emails of the prime minister.

Phone numbers belonging to key government officials have since been circulating on Facebook pages. The government was caught by surprise and so far has not reacted. Meanwhile, netizens have been divided over the efficacy of the move.

Bassem Meddeb tweeted enthusiastically about the search through thousands of emails:

@bmeddeb: Finalement #Anonymous nous a engagé comme détectives! #jbelileaks

Finally #Anonymous has hired us as detectives! #jbelileaks

Hmida Ben Jemmaa wrote mockingly:

@HBJtn: Après le #JbeliLeaks, le bureau politique d'Ennahdha décide de correspondre avec des… pigeons voyageurs.

After #JbeliLeaks, Ennahda's political bureau decides to communicate via…homing pigeons.

Operation Tunisia Back logo

However, some Twitter users opposed the hacking operation.

Hmida Ben Jemmaa wrote that he condemned the attack, and added:

التدخّل الأجنبي في شؤوننا الدّاخلية خطّ أحمر

Foreign interference in our internal affairs is a line that should not be crossed

Medical student Amine Ghrabi questioned the point of the Anonymous operation and tweeted:

@HendrixTN: Petite pensée à tous ceux qui ont gâché leur matinée dominicale à fouiller la boite mail d'un incompétent confirmé ! #JbeliLeaks

A small thought for all those who ruined their Sunday morning searching the inbox of a confirmed bungler! #JbeliLeaks

Alkimia tweeted:

@alkimia5550: بجدكم توا معملين تلقاو كارثة في #JbeliLeaks

Do you seriously want to find a catastrophe in #JbeliLeaks?

And added:

@alkimia5550: Anonymous a menacé les Islamistes depuis qq mois.Il ne serait pas malin s'il n'a pas nettoyé

Anonymous has been threatening the Islamists for the last few months. He [the prime minister] wouldn't be smart if he hadn't cleaned up [his inbox]

Student Imed Laaridh, a supporter of Ennahda, tweeted that he would strike back:

@ImedLaaridh: On est peut être parti pour un tour de piratage réciproque. On trouvera de quoi passer le temps.. #TnPolitics #JbeliLeaks

Perhaps we have started a round of mutual hacking. We will find something to spend our time on… #TnPolitics #JbeliLeaks

The following video [Fr] is from Anonymous Tunisia. A member of Anonymous speaks about the leak of the prime minister's emails, and the forthcoming release of more documents:

Tunisia: Martyrs' Day Clashes Leave Many Wounded

Salah Almhamdi — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:58:17 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia's netizens and activist community were shocked on April 9, 2012, by the police response to a planned protest to mark Martyrs' Day. It came a day after a smaller protest by jobless young people was attacked by the police.

The protesters planned to challenge the ban on protesting on Habib Bourguiba Avenue by starting their demonstration on Mohamed V Avenue. Police responded by using tear gas, batons and electric batons to disperse them. Some members of the National Constituent Assembly, journalists, bloggers, lawyers and activists were harshly beaten. Netizens expressed their anger, shock and sense of déja-vu.

Protesters encircled by police in Tunis on April 9, 2012. Image by Flickr user Amine Ghrabi (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Tear gas spreads through the air. Image by Flickr user Amine Ghrabi (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Global Voices author Afef Abrougui tweeted:

@AfefTN: عيد شهداء حافل بالغاز المسيل للدموع ‎#9avril‪ #tunisie‪

Martyrs' Day full of tear gas ‏‪#9avril #tunisie

Protesters flee tear gas in Tunis. Image by Lina Ben Mhenni (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Tear gas engulfs the air in Tunis. Image by Lina Ben Mhenni (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Twitter user Tunisienne Libre (@Fleursdecactus) tweeted that the aggression spread to other streets:

@Fleursdecactus: C'est le chaos à Jean Jaures, av. de Paris, rue de Marseille… Poursuites, agressions, lacrymo.

It's chaos on Jean Jaures, Paris Avenue, Marseille Street… Chases, attacks, tear gas.

Protesters move from a street to another in Tunis. Image by Lina Ben Mhenni (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Police clash with protesters at Mohamed V Avenue in Tunis. Image by Lina Ben Mhenni (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Slim Amamou, prominent blogger and founder of the Tunisian Pirate Party, described the situation:

@slim404: #9avril Le nombre de bras fracturés est anormal. Il y a qlq chose qui a changé dans l'équipement ou les méthodes de la police

The number of broken arms is abnormal. Something has changed in the equipment or methods of the police

Fatma Riahi, alias Fatma Arabicca, a prominent blogger and the co-founder of the Association of Tunisian Bloggers, was beaten by riot police and hospitalized. In this video [ar] she explained what happened:

Afef Abrougui criticized the government's justification for banning protests on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, which was to protect businesses and attract tourists:

@AfefTN: protesters, MPs, journalists, activists & paramedics were assaulted 2day in #Tunis | a good way to attract tourists u gov of fools #9avril

Blogger Keyser Söze wrote a post entitled “Pandora's Box”:

Le 9 avril 2012 restera un jour triste dans la mémoire de tout tunisien. Il portera à jamais la marque de l’ingratitude des autocrates en poste envers le peuple qui les a libérés.

April 9 2012 will remain a sad day in the memory of every Tunisian. It will forever be marked by the ingratitude of the autocrats in office towards the people who made them free.

He added:

Toute la panoplie de la répression de l’aire dictatoriale a été employée pour casser du Tunisien. Ils ont même eu recours à l’aide de milices inconnues comme à la belle époque.

The panoply of repression of the dictatorial era has been used to beat Tunisians. They have even resorted to the help of unknown militias, just like the good old days.

The following YouTube video by TunisiaTalks shows police chasing protesters and their brutality towards them.

Mustapha Ben Jafar, the President of the National Constituent Assembly asked the government [fr] to begin an investigation to find out who was responsible. On television the president Moncef Marzouki apologised for the high level of violence employed against protestors.

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Police Use Tear Gas and Batons to Disperse Jobless Protesters

Afef Abrougui — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 21:45:11 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

On April 7, 2012 the Union for Unemployed Graduates staged a protest in downtown Tunis. When the protesters attempted to break a ban on demonstrating on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the capital's main avenue, police used tear gas and batons to disperse them. A number of injuries were recorded.

In a communiqué released on April 7 the Interior Ministry said that protesters threw rocks at the police, and that they tried to get to the avenue “by force”.

Injured protester. Image from ‏Albadil.org

The following YouTube video by TunisiaTalks features the police intervention. The video shows passers-by getting suffocated by tear gas, and some injured protesters.

Déjà vu?

Police using batons to disperse protesters. Image by Ali Garboussi.

The police violence reminded Sameh of the Zine El Abidine Ben Ali era. She tweeted:

@sameh_b: #Tunisie dictature en marche… Av. Habib Bourguiba!!! Des milices avec des bâtons qui tabassent les manifestants!! Un air de déjà-vu!!!

Tunisia dictatorship is on…Habib Bourguiba Avenue!!! Militias with batons are beating protesters!! An atmosphere of déjà vu!!

She was not the only one who felt that way. Zarzouki tweeted:

@ja3far2012: Raisons bidon “pr proteger les commercants et ne pas gener la circulation” le meme language que ZABA #tunisie

Trivial reasons “to protect merchants, and to avoid blocking traffic movement” - same language used by ZABA [nickname of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali]

Oppression a solution for unemployment?

An injured protester. Image by Ali Garboussi.

“Employment, freedom, and national dignity”, was a slogan used during the 2011 Tunisia uprising. Fifteen months after the end of the 23-year rule of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, employment is still a key popular demand. Despite the promises of the interim government, led by the Islamist party Ennahdha, to create 400 000 jobs, the uneployment rate is not decreasing. According to a recent study, published at the end of February 2012, the unemployment rate has now reached 18,9 %.

Blogger Bassem Bouguerra published a post entitled the Tunisian way to face unemployment, and argued that the government resorted to oppression to solve the problem of unemployment:

Desperate and angry, 400 unemployed graduates took the streets on April 7th to show their dissatisfaction with the government’s performance towards solving the unemployment issue. They decided on starting their protest from the Tunisian General Labour Union UGTT’s HQ and make it all the way to Avenue Habib Bourguiba […] The government parallelised with this overwhelming challenge of unemployment, can’t face the protesters with new more promises. Tunisians had enough of that. They also can’t sooth them with solutions since they got none. So they chose the easy solution: Oppression. As the protesters walked towards Habib Bourguiba ave, the police used the familiar tactics of Ben Ali’s era, to oppress and disperse the crowd.

An assault on the dignity of the unemployed

In a blogpost [Fr] published on April 8, Salah Ben Omrane argued that assaulting an unemployed person is assaulting his or her dignity:

taper sur quelqu’un qui ne demande qu’un emploi, c’est s’attaquer à sa dignité! Aucune raison ministérielle ne peut le justifier et aucune morale ne l’approuve .

beating someone who is only asking for a job, is assaulting his or her dignity! No ministerial reason would ever justify it, and no morality would ever approve it

The unemployed: a real threat?

Before the famous slogan of “Ben Ali Get Out”, protesters shouted “Employment is a right, you gang of thieves [the Ben Ali clan]”, and “Employment, freedom, and national dignity”. Unemployment was at the heart of the 2011 Tunisia uprising, which was ignited by the jobless youth, who were the first to take to the streets and face police brutality. Are the unemployed still a threat? Do they represent a danger to the current interim government, appointed four months ago?

According to Zarzouki:

@ja3far2012: Simple: Ils ne repriment que ceux qu'ils trouvent dangeureux!

It is simple: they only repress those they consider to be dangerous!

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Anger at Protest Ban on Main Street of Tunis

Salah Almhamdi — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 06:52:16 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisian netizens have expressed their anger at a ban on protesting on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, the capital's main street and the Tunisian equivalent of Cairo's Tahrir Square.

On March 28, 2012, the Tunisian Ministry of Interior banned any kind of protest, claiming complaints had been received from commercial and touristic businesses located on the avenue. Recently skirmishes between Islamists and liberals occurred when two protests took place at the same time on the same street.

Habib Bourguiba Avenue. Image by Flickr user Tab59 (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Slim Amamou, Tunisian blogger and former Secretary of State for Youth, tweeted:

@slim404: ياخي الداخلية ولات مشرع باش تمنع و تشرع في ألحق الدستوري في التظاهر؟ قالله شارع الحبيب بورقيبة ممنوع.. ملا لغة.. ‎‬#tnac‪‏ ‎‬#tngov‪‏

@slim404: Has the Interior become a legislator to ban and legislate the constitutional right of protest? They say Habib Bourguiba Avenue is banned… What's this…

He went on to call for a protest:

@slim404: حالة الطوارئ توفى غدوة 30 مارس في تونس. تظاهرو! ما تسمعوش كلام الداخلية!

@slim404: The state of emergency ends tomorrow, March 30, in Tunisia. Go protest! Don't listen to the Interior's words

The blogger and Wikipedian Habib M'henni responded to Amamou's tweet saying:

@HabibMhenni: تمديد ضمني في حالة الطوارئ المنتهية آخر هذا الشهر

@HabibMhenni: An implicit extension of the state of emergency ending this month

Prominent blogger Azyz Amami, imprisoned during the Tunisian Revolution, also responded to Slim Amamou's tweet:

@Azyyoz: C'est pas la première fois qu'ils le font, ces salauds

@Azyyoz: It's not the first time they've done it, these bastards

Blogger Tounsiahourra reported that a vigil for Land Day had not been allowed:

@tounsiahourra: الداخلية ترفض الترخيص لمسيرة بالشموع غدا امام المسرح البلدي في شارع بورقيبة في يوم الأرض بتعلة ان كل التظاهرات منعت في ذلك الشارع ‎‬#EarthDay

@tounsiahourra: The Interior refuses to authorize a candlelight vigil for Land Day tomorrow in front of the Municipal Theatre on Bourguiba Avenue on the pretext that all protests are banned on that street

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Tunisia: Bloggers Help Draft the Constitution

Ahmed Medien — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:36:21 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

On October 23, 2011, Tunisians elected an assembly to draft its new constitution, following the toppling of the Ben Ali regime. Now, five months later, the assembly has just started studying the draft proposals. Yet, disagreements about the first article of the constitution is slowing down the work of the assembly and Islam and the Arab identity are at the heart of debates nationwide.

Blogger Mohamed Ali Charmi took the initiative to propose the first three articles on his blog, bidules8. In his post [ar], El Cherni suggests that Tunisia should remain a civil state whose religion is Islam and whose official language is Arabic. He also stresses that Tunisia be open to other neighboring civilizations and cultures, naming the North-African, African, Arab, Mediterranean and European cultures.

In the same first article, Charmi reminds us of the design of the Tunisian flag. Perhaps, this initiative is a reaction to the discretion of Tunisian flag when a Salafi student lowered the Tunisian flag and raised the Salafist flag instead.

Tunisia Celebrates Independence Day - March 20

Charmi suggests that the second article of the constitution should protect the freedoms and dignity of all Tunisian citizens. He writes [ar]:

حق الحياة و العيش الكريم و الملكية و التقاضي و الدفاع والنفاذ إلى المعلومة و المساواة في العمل و الصحة والتعليم
سلامته الجسدية وعدم تسليط أي شكل من أشكال التعذيب الجسدي أو النفسي
حرية المعتقد و التعبير و الصحافة و النشر و التنقل و التظاهر والعمل النقابي و التجمع في احزاب ومنظمات وجمعيات وتعاضديات وجماعات ونقابات.
دون تميز على أساس دين أو لون أو جنس أو جهة وفي إطار سلمي و ما دامت لا تدعو للكراهية والعنف والإقتتال و تحترم مبادئ الحرية و المساواة.

- The right for a good life, property, justice, defense, open data and information, equality in jobs opportunities, health care and education.
- Physical safety and ban of all sorts of physical or psychological torture.
- Freedom of belief, expression, press, publication, movement, manifestation, trade union activity, assembling in political parties, association, collectives and syndicates with no distinction based on religion, color, gender and region as long as its peaceful and do not call for hatred, violence, conflicts and ban the grounds of freedom and equality.

The third article emphasizes that Tunisia keeps the democratic republican regime that brings about pluralism and peaceful rotation of power. It approves the separation of powers and criminalizes any attempts to turn back on these foundations.

The apparent schism between the ends of political spectrum in Tunisia has reflected a gap within the Tunisian society that is drifting apart in two segments in the absence of any serious action to help the country progress towards an understanding. Therefore, once again, the community of Internet users in Tunisia is taking a stand to influence politicians to choose the best alternatives for Tunisians.

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

Arab World: Hands Off Clooney!

Amira Al Hussaini — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:58:34 +0000

George Clooney handcuffed. Photo by Sasha Lezhnev, shared by ENOUGH project on Flickr (CC-BY-NC-ND)

The United States has arrested actor George Clooney and his father Nick at a protest outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC. Arab Twitter users register their protest on their arrest on Twitter.

The protest was organised to to draw attention to a looming humanitarian crisis in the Nuba mountains areas, on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir is accused of blocking food and aid from reaching the region.

The Big Pharaoh, from Egypt, tweets [Ar]:

اكتب على حيطة الزنزانه حبس كلونى عار وخيانة

@TheBigPharaoh: Write on the prison walls, arresting Clooney is shameful and treacherous

Syrian Save Our Syria reacts:

@freeppl: Actor Clooney arrested outside Sudanese Embassy..I am glad someone from hollywood now know how reality action feels like

#FreeClooney trending worldwide on Twitter

Tunisian Tounsia Hourra (Free Tunisian) jokes [Ar]:

أنادي بجبهة شعبية لتحرير جورج كلوني , يا نساء العالم اتحدن جورج مقبوض عليه في واشنطن ‎‬

@tonsiahourra: I call for a popular movement to free George Clooney. Women of the world unite. George Clooney has been arrested in Washington DC.

Malek, from Egypt, adds [Ar]:

كله الا كلوني يا ولاد الكلب … ماعندكم مايكل مور

@MaLek: Anyone other than Clooney, you sons of dogs! You have Michael Moore [whom you can arrest]

Egyptian Marwan Qoutb chimes in [Ar]:

جورج كلوني مش بلطجي , الحرية لجورج كلوني

@Qoutb: George Clooney is not a thug! Freedom for George Clooney

While Egyptian Alyaa Gad jokes:

@AlyaaGad: Don't #FreeClooney. Can't stand him. lol

And J Berry draws parallels to some of the atrocities committed against Arab protesters during the Arab revolutions saying [Ar}:

كلوني و قبضوا عليه .. ناقص ايه ؟ .. يخرموا عين توم كروز !! يسحلوا كيم كارديشيان !! يكشفوا عذرية باميلا انديرسون !

@moneloky: Clooney has been arrested… what's left for them to do? Pop Tom Cruise's eyes? Pull Kim Kardashian across the street? Or check Pamela Anderson for her virginity?

For other reactions on Clooney's arrest, check out the Twitter hash tag #FreeClooney, which is now trending worldwide