Tunisia: A Black Day for Bloggers

Tunisian bloggers are protesting the censorship by placing such screens on their blogs

The Tunisian blogosphere witnessed a black day on Tuesday 27th, 2010. Indeed, the Internet police launched a war against bloggers where more than 11 blogs were censored. It is an arbitrary censorship which has even attacked blogs that have been inactive for months. The list of blogs which have been censored are:
Amcha fi bled Al Imyan (ar)
Trap Boy (ar)
AntiKor (fr)
Arabista (fr)
Ya Tounes (ar)
Abidklifi
OuNormal (ar)
Carpe Diem (fr)
Bent 3ayla (ar)
Artartticuler
Stupeur (fr)

The following day, some more blogs were censored:
Le blog de Houssein
Le blog de Lina Benmhenni (mine)
Le blog de Achour Enneji
Le blog de Boudourou
Le blog de Metallic Naddou

But it is necessary to note that for more than two weeks, the Internet police has been blocking different kinds of websites, including news websites like: le Nouvel Observateur and Rue89, as well as video platforms like: www.wat.tv and www.metacafe.com/.

Some Facebook profiles have been blocked too, including mine. Global Voices Online has been totally blocked three days ago after a a partial blocking for months now.

Tunisians online users, especially bloggers, refused this arbitrary blocking and created videos, pictures and blogged against this censorship :

Kissa Online wrote:

La censure du Net par le blocage des blogs et des sites est une atteinte grave au droit des gens à un libre exercice du droit d’expression. La Censure ,pour la enieme fois, a encore frappé et bloqué en Tunisie les blogs .

Censorship through the blocking of blogs and websites is a serious violation to people’s right to a free exercise of free expression. Censorship has again hit and blocked blogs in Tunisia.

Under the title An intellectual Genocide, Free Thoughts wrote:

البارح في الليل , و بعد غياب وقتي بسبب الفروض , قلت نعمل طلة عل فايسبوك و جو البلوغسفار ..
ياخي مع الأسف تصدمت , نلقا لي عمار عاث فيها فسادا لا خلى لا أخضر لا يابس .. الحجب ولى لعبة قذرة تواجهنا كل يوم , اضافة الى انو مجهول الاسباب
وليت نحس لي احنا عايشين في القرن ال14 منين الكنيسة كانت تحرق في الكتب
Last night, and after a long absence, the time necessary to revise for my exams, I said to myself let me have a look at my Facebook and the Tunisian blogosphere.
Unfortunately, I was shocked. I found out that Ammar (the nickname given by the Tunisian online community to the censor) destroyed everything without exception.
Censorship has become a dirty game that we face everyday. Moreover, censorship has no clear reasons. I feel as if we are living in the 14th century, when churches used to burn books.

Meanwhile, Tunisian bloggers are protesting against the censorship by placing screens on their blogs denouncing such blockades. The photograph above is a screen shot from one of the blocked blogs.

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