Zouhair Yahyaoui
Encyclopedia
Zouhair Yahyaoui was the first cyber-dissident to be pursued and condemned in Tunisia, a country that is often rated at the top of lists of internet policing by independent third-party sources such as the OpenNet Initiative
. He is the nephew of the Judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui who is also a vocal critic of the Tunisian regime and its lack of respect for judiciary processes.
Yahyahoui alias Ettounsi, founded and edited one of the first open discussion forums on the internet the satirical website TUNeZINE (which has since been shutdown). This 'Zine' (a play on words connecting the genre to the President) drew participants from across the political spectrum discussing women's issues, human rights, economic problems, freedom of expression as well as religion. The site itself was often victim of the prevalent censorship in Tunisia
, access to it could be difficult if at all possible, and though he used a pseudo, Yahyaoui himself was tracked down and arrested for creating the site. Imprisoned for a few years in the Borj al Amri prison, there were numerous campaigns for his release.
Yahyaoui was awarded numerous journalistic prizes (in absentia) for his efforts to create a democratic discussion forum, for example in 2003 Reporters Without Borders
gave him the Globenet-Cyber Freedom Prize.
OpenNet Initiative
The OpenNet Initiative is a joint project whose goal is to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance practices by nations. The project employs a number of technical means, as well as an international network of investigators, to determine the extent and nature of government-run...
. He is the nephew of the Judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui who is also a vocal critic of the Tunisian regime and its lack of respect for judiciary processes.
Yahyahoui alias Ettounsi, founded and edited one of the first open discussion forums on the internet the satirical website TUNeZINE (which has since been shutdown). This 'Zine' (a play on words connecting the genre to the President) drew participants from across the political spectrum discussing women's issues, human rights, economic problems, freedom of expression as well as religion. The site itself was often victim of the prevalent censorship in Tunisia
Censorship in Tunisia
Censorship in Tunisia has been an issue since the country gained independence in 1956. Though considered relatively mild under President Habib Bourguiba , censorship and other forms of repression have become common under his successor, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali...
, access to it could be difficult if at all possible, and though he used a pseudo, Yahyaoui himself was tracked down and arrested for creating the site. Imprisoned for a few years in the Borj al Amri prison, there were numerous campaigns for his release.
Yahyaoui was awarded numerous journalistic prizes (in absentia) for his efforts to create a democratic discussion forum, for example in 2003 Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
gave him the Globenet-Cyber Freedom Prize.