Facebook has become one of the foremost media in Tunisia, an alternative to controlled official information; it played an important a role in the 2010 uprising that led to the Arab Spring. But while it remains a tool for mobilising people, it is also now used for the more mundane and trivial, including trolling, rumours and rants. More disturbingly, Facebook has also been be turned against human rights activists, who are sometimes treated by the authorities in the same way as apologists for terrorism. Lilia Blaise reports.
Tunisia is witnessing the largest and most violent popular protest movement since President Ben Ali came to power 23 years ago. Thousands of Tunisian lawyers staged a national strike and demonstrations (photo) on January 6th, joining the revolts born from high youth unemployment, soaring inflation, and widespread corruption and human rights violations.
Tunis lawyers © D.R.