Tunisia: Army Critic Sentenced to Two Months in Prison  · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
On November 9, 2011, Nabil Hajlaoui, an agronomist from Sidi Bouzid, was sentenced to two months in prison following his criticism of the Tunisian military institution. According to Houssem Hajlaoui, an author for the collective blog Nawaat, Nabil Hajlaoui was arrested after writing an article, in which he blamed the army for the recent riots and acts of vandalism which took place in Sidi Bouzid following the elections.
Houssem Hajlaoui writes [ar]:
He adds:
Post-election riots in Sidi Bouzid. Photo by SBZone
Following the announcement of the preliminary election results on the night of October 27, demonstrators took to the streets of Sidi Bouzid to protest against a decision made by the independent commission for the election, which disqualified a number of seats previously attributed to an independent list called ”the Popular Petition,” over ”campaign finance violations.”
The ”Popular Petition” won the majority of the votes in Sidi Bouzid, where the protests movement which overthrew ousted President Zeine El Abidine Ben Ali kicked off. It is worth mentioning that on November 8 the Administrative Court issued a verdict, by which the ”Popular Petition” regained seven seats at the assembly.
Nabil Hajlaoui, a Tunisian civilian, stood trial in front a military court, in Sfax (South of Tunisia).
Nadia A.  tweets [fr]:
En pratique comment empêcher des cas Hajlaoui? Qui a les prérogatives nécessaires pour interdire le jugement de civils par les militaires?
"Family of Nabil Hajlaoui cries out: Release our son…He is innocent"
This is not the first time in post-revolution Tunisia that someone has been arrested for speaking out and practicing the right of freedom of expression. On May 29, whistleblower Samir Feriani was arrested after criticising the Interior Ministry. He was released four months later.
Samira Abed tweets:
Before #Hajlaoui becomes a #Feriani can some 1 post his article? I want to know if what he wrote is worth arresting him for! #sidiBouzid
The Family of Nabil Hajlaoui, along with a number of activists, organized a protest calling for his immediate release. Among the charges directed at him is ”spreading chaos.” His family says he was arrested for criticising the Tunisian military institution.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.