Tunisia: cyber-dissident wins first RSF-Globenet prize

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE/UPDATE - INTERNATIONAL

20 June 2003

Tunisian cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui wins first RSF-Globenet
Cyber-Freedom Prize

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

**Updates IFEX alerts 4 June, 13 May, 4 and 3 April, 3 February and 17
January 2003, 1 October, 21, 20 and 6 June 2002**

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 19 June 2003 RSF press release:

Tunisian cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui Winner of the first Cyber-Freedom
Prize awarded by Reporters s@ns frontières - Globenet for 2003

Tunisian cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui, jailed for two years for
allegedly "putting out false news" on his Internet website TUNeZINE.com, has
won the first Cyber-Freedom Prize awarded by Reporters s@ns frontières -
Globenet for 2003.

At least 51 cyber-dissidents are in prison around the world for simply
wanting to exercise their right to inform us. Jailing someone is to remove a
vital witness and it threatens everyone's right to information. So Reporters
Without Borders is honouring a cyber-dissident who is being prevented from
informing us via the Internet.

Yahyaoui's fiancée, Sophie Piekarec, received the 7,600 euro prize on his
behalf at a ceremony in Paris today. The prize goes to an Internet user who,
through their professional activity or principled positions, demonstrates
their support for the free flow of information online.

Zouhair Yahyaoui in jail - How President Ben Ali responds to satire

In Borj el Amri prison, on the outskirts of Tunis, 4 June 2003 was the first
anniversary of the arrest of Zouhair Yahyaoui, 35, cyber-dissident and
creator of the website TUNeZINE.

It was also the day his French fiancée, Sophie Piekarec, had wanted to spend
in Tunis with Yahyaoui's family. She flew over specially from Paris, but was
turned back when she landed at Tunis airport.

What crime did Yahyaoui commit to deserve this?

A young unemployed university graduate and Internet enthusiast, Yahyaoui
launched a news website from within Tunisia in July 2001. It was the only
way to express oneself in this country of censorship. Using the pseudonym
Ettounsi, Yahyaoui quickly began drawing lots of young visitors to TUNeZINE.
His recipe was humour and sarcasm. In July 2001, TUNeZINE began reflecting
the concerns of human rights defenders by being the first site to post an
open letter to President Ben Ali from Judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui (Zouhair
Yahyaoui's uncle) criticising the complete lack of judicial independence in
Tunisia. Written mostly in the Tunisian vernacular, the postings of Yahyaoui
and his team upset the authorities. Tunisia's cyber-police, who are among
the most effective in the world, were ordered to track them down.

He was arrested in an Internet cafe in a Tunis suburb on 4 June 2002 by ten
plainclothes policemen, who took him to his home and searched his room,
taking his computer equipment. During interrogation by members of the
Directorate for State Security (DES), an offshoot of the interior ministry,
he revealed the password to his website. He was also tortured. After a
summary trial, an appeals court sentenced him on 10 July 2002 to two years
in prison for "spreading false news."

Yahyaoui has continued his fight from his prison cell. The only way now for
him to combat the injustice of which he is a victim is hunger strikes. He
has staged three of them since the beginning of 2003. They have left him
weak, but he has not given up.

For further information, contact Virginie Locussol at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.rsf.org

The information contained in this press release/update is the sole
responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit RSF.
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