This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011 [1].
Tunisian netizens are working around the clock to show the rest of the world the ongoing carnage [2] in their country. What started as a protest against unemployment when a 26-year-old Tunisian man set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid last month has ignited the country, sparking a wave of protests across it.
Despite the fact that protesters on the ground are facing a heavy-handed response from the authorities, and cyber-activists are facing the same dilemma [3], photographs, testimonies and videos showing the daily mayhem are appearing online.
Today's news [4] says that at least 20 people have been killed in both the city of Tala, 200km southwest of the capital Tunis, and in the Kasserine region – and the Twitterosphere is on fire.
Earlier today, I got the following appeal [5] on the mico-blogging site.
@JustAmira [6] @globalvoices [7] please tell to the world that kasserine is dying!
A quick search of the #sidibouzid [8] hashtag weaved a story of horror – and an out pour of solidarity from decent citizens from around the world.
Tunisia-based SBZ_news tweets [9]:
According to a source inside Talah, the police prevent the evacuation of injured citizens #SidiBouzid
and asks:
He also links [11] to a video, uploaded on Facebook, which shows how the police have used live ammunition against protesters:
Bullets, used by the Tunisian police in Kassrin http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=170356223007700 [12] #SidiBouzid [10]
Nawaat too posts a video [13] on YouTube showing how police have been engaging with the protesters using live ammunition:
On Twitter, Nawaat drives home the indiscriminate killings on the streets by showing [14] us the image of a dead boy, on the streets of Tala:
Dead boy in the streets of Tunisia. (thala) 09.01.10 http://post.ly/1SQF7 [15] #sidibouzid [16]
And even the dead don't seem to be immune. Nawaat adds [17]:
fra-ise adds [18]:
But for Tunisian Youssef 3al-7it, hope [21] is on the horizon:
Tunisia's clashes against its own people have brought an out pour of reactions from people from around the world.
Reacting to today's events, Saudi Essam Al Zamil tweets [22]:
الجزيرة: عشرون قتيلا اليوم في مظاهرات تونس (يبدو أن الحكومة التونسية الجبانة بدأت باستخدام القتل لارهاب الشعب) #SidiBouzid [10]
Dima Khatib continues [23]:
And she adds [24]:
From more videos from citizens in Tunisia on what is happening on the ground, tune into Nawaat's YouTube channel here [25] or check out tunisians on vimeo here [26].
On Facebook, a page named Liberate Tunisia [27] has been created, with regular updates of developments on the ground as well as images of the victims. Mr President, the Tunisian People are Setting Themselves on Fire [28] is another group on Facebook, dedicated to documenting the struggle of Tunisian people.
This post is part of our special coverage of Tunisia Revolution 2011 [1].