On Monday, the security forces came for another writer. And the world stood by largely silent:
On Monday, police in Sfax, Tunisia's second largest city, detained Slim Boukhdhir, a well-known blogger and contributor to the London-based Al-Quds Al Arabi. He was charged with “aggression against a public employee” and “violation of public morality standards,” according to the journalist’s lawyer. Under the penal code, the charges could bring 18 months in prison. Boukhdhir was also charged under a 1993 national identity card law with “refusal to show his identification card to a public security agent.” He could be fined under that law...
Boukhdhir has staged several hunger strikes in recent years to protest government harassment and authorities’ refusal to grant him a passport. He was assaulted as he left an Internet café in Tunis in May, shortly after writing an online story critical of the first lady’s brother...
Police arrested Boukhdhir Monday morning as he was leaving the city of Sfax, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) south of the Tunisian capital, in a taxi with other passengers. He told his lawyers that he had an appointment that day at the Khaznadar Police Station in the suburbs of Tunis regarding his passport application.
Clearly this man should not be allowed to apply for a passport... But all joking aside, it's interesting that one act that got Boukhdhir in trouble was criticizing the brother of Ben Ali's wife (specifically Mr. Houssem Trabelsi). Tunisians will tell you that the First Lady is quite the political force - and the one who wears in the pants in the Ben Ali home.
Or maybe they'll request Everyday is Like Sunday: "Come, come, nuclear bomb..."
Posted by: dr dre beats headphones | December 01, 2011 at 08:05 PM