Zouhaier Makhlouf
Blog: http://www.assabilonline.net/Arrested between 20 Oct 2009 and 12 Feb 2010
Campaign Site: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=302102190561&v=wall
On October 20, 2009, Zouhaïer Makhlouf, a Tunisian human rights activist and writer for Assabil Online was arrested for publishing an online video report investigating the social, economic, and environmental problems in Nabeul (Dar Chaabane El Fehri), a coastal town in northeastern Tunisia.
According to reports by several local human rights organizations someone named Mourad Ladhib brought a case against Mr. Makhlouf accusing him of filming him without permission. Mr Makhlouf denied the charges against him, and refused to sign a police report claiming that his video report was created for the Democratic Progressive Party (a legal political party of which Makhlouf is an active member). Mr. Makhlouf insists he did not film any sensitive areas prohibited by law and accuses the investigator of politicizing the case.
Mr Makhlouf was sent to Mornaguia Prison in the suburbs of Tunis. He began a hunger strike to protest his arrest on October 21, 2009. He is scheduled to be tried in court on November 3, 2009 on defamation charges and could be sentenced up to one year in prison under the Tunisian Telecommunications Code.
On October 26, Tunisian Security officials and plainclothes police surrounded the office of the Democratic Progressive Party to block a rally in support of the detained activist. On the same day, state security also surrounded Mr. Makhlouf's house, preventing his friends from speaking to his wife, who also began a hunger strike on October 22 in support of her husband.
Despite repeated threats, Zouhaïer Makhlouf is one of the most active human rights activists in Tunisia online and offline. He has published several human rights testimonies (video, audio, and text) which broke the silence on many sensitive issues and human rights abuses faced by Tunisian activists and former political prisoners.
On December 1st, 2009, online reporter Zouheir Makhlouf has been sentenced to 3 months prison term and ordered to pay a fine of 6000 dinars.
On January 20, 2010, the appeal court in the city of Nabeul refused to release Zouhair Makhlouf despite his completion of a three-month prison term. And on Februray 10th, 2010, the appeal court increased his term from three to four months. However, two days later, on February 12th, Zouhaier Makhlouf has been released from prison.
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