After the revolution, Tunisia named March 13 the National Day of Internet freedom to commemorate blogger and political activist Zouhair Yahyaoui, alias Ettounsi, who was tortured while in prison and died in 2005 shortly after being released.

After the revolution, Tunisia named March 13 the National Day of Internet freedom to commemorate blogger and political activist Zouhair Yahyaoui, alias Ettounsi, who was tortured while in prison and died in 2005 shortly after being released.

March 13 was a meaningless date under President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali when, like any other day, freedom was assassinated, free speech was prevented and Tunisian citizen’s right of expression was eliminated. But, this date is a sad day for Yahyaoui’s family and friends; who was weakened by torture and inhumane treatment in prison; Yahyaoui died of heart attack on March 13, 2005.

The contentious blog

In 2001, Yahyaoui launched his website “TUNeZINE”, a magazine that published social and political articles mostly in the vernacular Tunisian dialect and in French.

Ettounsi’s articles were cynical and vocally criticized the policing regime for its corruption, suppression of freedoms and human rights violation. They often published documents exposing Ben Ali’s regime, which used to boast about its democracy and pluralism before the world public opinion.

The website’s audacity and fierce opposition to Ben Ali’s rule, through sarcastic caricatures drawn by Yahyaoui himself made TUNeZINE a popular blog on both national and international levels, especially among circles concerned with the Tunisian affairs including dissidents in exile, human rights activists and international human rights organizations.

Thirty-three year-old Yahyaoui, had a Master’s Degree in economics and was unemployed, like thousands of young Tunisians. Yahyaoui spent most of his time online at his residence in Ben Arous Governorate (south of Tunis). He updated his website on a daily basis and published facts that confused the state’s corrupt officials and exposed the bloody practices of police, such as torture and harassment of opponents.

Beginning of the end

Yahyaoui succeeded in escaping the information police many times because he used a pseudonym, but a questionnaire he launched on his website was the drop that caused the bucket to overflow. Therefore, the information police managed to disclose Yahyaoui’s identity.

Yahyaoui’s questionnaire asked: Is Tunisia a republic, a monarchy, a zoo or a prison? It came in response to a referendum by Ben Ali published in order to obtain popular blessing for a fourth-term rule.

Defying the red lines set by the regime, the cyber-dissident published a letter written by a judge to Ben Ali, in which the judge said he felt ashamed of being a judge in a country of unjust laws that did not respect the judiciary.

This rebellious judge was Yahyaoui’s uncle, Mokhtar Yahyaoui, who was dismissed from work and deprived of his salary and was subjected to many kinds of harassment thereafter.

In prison

After tracking the blogger for several months, information police were able to identify and arrest Yahyaoui. He was tortured before being sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “spreading false news aimed at suggesting the occurrence of an assault” and “theft and fraudulent use of communication means.”

Yahyaoui could not endure the degrading prison conditions and went on hunger strikes with the same composure when he resisted Ben Ali’s oppression behind his full-of-facts computer.

International pressure

The world public opinion paid attention to the case of Yahyaoui, and many international and human rights organizations moved in order to put pressure on Tunisian authorities to release him. Reporters without Borders awarded him the Globenet-Cyber Freedom Prize while he was imprisoned. Yahyaoui was released in November 2003 after three hunger strikes and enduring torture practices that weakened his body; he was no longer the same man.

Dream of freedom continues

Those close to Yahyaoui before his imprisonment stressed that prison killed Yahyaoui and left him a mere body, as he eventually abandoned writing and blogging.

Yahyaoui died at the age of 37, leaving the country for whose freedom of expression he tirelessly fought. He left behind a generation dreaming of a better tomorrow. Some of them were lucky enough to witness him while others read about abouthis war against blocking, repression and the corruption of power.

After the fall of Ben Ali’s regime in January 2011, Yahyaoui’s family and friends now commemorate the anniversary of his death, hoping that those involved in torturing him will be prosecuted. Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has only honored his family and declared March 13 as the national day of Internet freedom.