Tunisia Revolution 2011 · Global Voices

Protests in Tunisia. Image by Khaled Nciri.
On December 17, 2010, an unemployed Tunisian man, Mohamed Bouazizi, aged 26, from Sidi Bouzid, in southern Tunisia, set himself on fire to protest against joblessness, sparking a popular uprising against the government. Two more suicides followed, spurring protests across several other Tunisian cities.  The social movement – initiated by lawyers, journalists, and labor unions – demanded more work opportunities and reform of the government of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Clashes between protesters and security forces lasted for nearly a month. According to government counts, 23 Tunisians were killed by police and security forces, while numerous more were injured. On January 13, President Ben Ali gave a speech in which he promised to step down in 2014.  The president also guaranteed reforms, including an end to restrictions on the media and Internet.  Shortly after the speech, the country's pervasive Internet censors were turned off.
Despite Ben Ali's promises, however, the unrest continued throughout the night and into the next day, at which point emergency law was enacted.  Shortly thereafter, the president closed Tunisian airspace, fired the parliament, and promised governmental elections within six months.  Protesters continued to gather outside of interior ministry, however, demanding Ben Ali's resignation.
Shortly thereafter, Ben Ali fled the country, and Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi took over, citing Chapter 56 of the Tunisian constitution as the article by which he was taking power, a move which some in the country called unconstitutional.  On January 15, the country's constitutional court appointed parliament speaker Fouad Mebazaa as interim president.  Mebazaa has 60 days to organize elections, according to article 57 of the Tunisian constitution.
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What we do: Global Voices bloggers from the Middle East and North Africa report on how citizens use the Internet and social media to make their voices heard, often translating from Arabic. Check back for further developments to this page.
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2012
26 Aug – Tunisian Political Cartoonist _Z_: ‘Nothing Has Really Changed’
18 Jun – Tunisia: Final Draft of New Constitution Preamble Causes Controversy
04 Jun – Tunisia: Netizens Voice Frustration Over Slow Legislature
07 May – Tunisia: Campaign for Freedom of Expression Launched
27 Apr – Tunisia: Uproar at Kiss of President's Hand
21 Apr – Tunisia: Police Clash with Jobless Protestors in Radès
20 Apr – Tunisia: Neglect of Those Wounded in the Revolution
13 Apr – Tunisia: Relief at Lifting of Protest Ban
10 Apr – Tunisia: Martyrs’ Day Clashes Leave Many Wounded
08 Apr – Tunisia: Anger at Protest Ban on Main Street of Tunis
26 Mar – Tunisia: Bloggers Help Draft the Constitution
26 Feb – Tunisia: Police Use Tear Gas and Batons to Disperse Labor Union Protest
22 Feb – Tunisia: Court Quashes Verdict Ordering the Filtering of Pornography
20 Feb – Tunisia: A Year After the Revolution, Limitations on Freedom of Expression Continue
08 Feb – Tunisia: Court to Decide on “Interim” President's Title
06 Feb – Tunisia: Politicians and Deputies Opt for Open Governance Through Social Media
03 Jan – Tunisia: 2011 in Citizen Media Photos
03 Jan – Tunisia: Censorship and Freedom of Speech in the Year That Was
02 Jan – From Sidi Bouzid to Kinshasa: Francophone Africa in 2011
December 2011
20 Dec – Arab World: Global Voices Bridges on Twitter
17 Dec – Sidi Bouzid's Anniversary: Celebrating One Year of Arab Awakening
17 Dec – Arab World: Thank You Mohamed Bouazizi! Thank You Sidi Bouzid!
13 Dec – Arab World: Congratulations Tunisia!
November 2011
24 Nov – Tunisia: Elected Constituent Assembly Holds Inaugural Session
12 Nov – Tunisia: Police Violently Disperse Anti-Capitalism Protesters
10 Nov – Tunisia: Army Critic Sentenced to Two Months in Prison
09 Nov – Tunisia: The Day Ben Ali Became President
04 Nov – Tunisia: Netizens Turn to Facebook to Criticise Islamists
October 2011
31 Oct – Tunisia: Let's Invade Social Networks!
31 Oct – Tunisia: Elections Usher in a New Dawn
24 Oct – Tunisia: Provisional Results Suggest Islamists Advance
23 Oct – Tunisia: Long Queues and Mixed Feelings on Election Day
23 Oct – Tunisia: A Rendezvous With History
23 Oct - Arab World: Cheering on Tunisia's Elections
23 Oct - Egypt: Watching the Tunisian Elections
23 Oct – France: Tunisian Diaspora Open “The Blue Finger Club”
23 Oct – Tunisia: It is Election Day!
20 Oct – France: Blue Fingers and Tears of Joy as Tunisian Diaspora Vote
19 Oct – Tunisia: Democratic Test for Tunisians on October 23 Election Day
September 2011
18 Sep – Tunisia: Bloggers Join Election Race
15 Sep – Tunisia: Blogger Beaten up by Police for Telling a Joke
14 Sep – Tunisia: Bloggers for Parliament
August 2011
17 Aug – Tunisia: More Protests, More Police Violence
11 Aug – Tunisia: People Want an Independent Judiciary
01 Aug – France: The Forgotten Tunisian Refugees of #Botzaris36
July 2011
25 Jul – Tunisia: Time to Register for Elections
16 Jul – Tunisia: Police Brutally Disperse Peaceful Protesters
13 Jul – Tunisia: Campaign to Free Government Critic Samir Feriani
12 Jul – Tunisia: Registration for Elections Start, Technical Snags Reported
June 2011
13 Jun – Tunisia: Protest to Free a Government Critic
05 Jun – Tunisia: Official Arrested for Criticizing Interior Ministry
02 Jun – Tunisia: Inevitable Postponement of the July 24 Elections
May 2011
17 May – Tunisia: Internet Censorship Makes a Comeback
06 May – Tunisia: Police Brutality is Back
06 May – Tunisia: Blog Declines Award Sponsored by Bahrain Government
April 2011
17 Apr – Tunisia: Bloggers Debate Secularism
March 2011
29 Mar – Tunisia: Bloggers Angry at Interim Interior Minister Sacking
19 Mar – Tunisia: Hillary Clinton's Unwelcome Visit
09 Mar – Arab World: How Much Does Internet Access Matter?
04 Mar – Tunisia: Reconciliation Between the People and the Government?
February 2011
27 Feb – Tunisia: Prime Minister Resigns Following a Bloody Saturday
26 Feb – Tunisia: Peaceful Protests Turn into Violent Confrontations
23 Feb – Tunisia: Sit-In Continues Against Interim Government
21 Feb – Arab World: The Great Social Media Debate
20 Feb – Arab World: The Uprisings Continue
19 Feb – Middle East: The Dictator's Handbook now in Bahrain
13 Feb – Tunisia: An Ongoing Battle for Democracy
11 Feb – Tunisia: Slim Amamou Speaks About Tunisia, Egypt and the Arab World
11 Feb – Tunisia: What Follows the Revolution?
08 Feb – Iran: Protesting in the name of Egypt and Tunisia
January 2011
21 Jan – Algeria: Algerians salute the courage of the Tunisian people
19 Jan – Middle East: A Closer Look at Tunisia's Uprising
18 Jan – Russia: Bloggers on Lessons of Tunisian Revolution
18 Jan – Tunisia: Blogger and Former Political Prisoner Appointed Minister
17 Jan – China: Tense days and nights in Tunis
16 Jan – France: Our Embarrassing Ex Friend, Monsieur Ben Ali
16 Jan – Tunisia: Fears of Insecurity Overshadow Joys of Freedom
16 Jan – Arab World: After Tunisia, Who's Next?
15 Jan – France: A Show of Tunisian Pride in Paris
15 Jan – Jordan: Reactions to Ben Ali's Removal from ‘Angry Jordanians’
15 Jan – Saudi Arabia: Fleeing, Tunisian Ex-President Ben Ali Lands in KSA
14 Jan – Arab World: Where is Ben Ali Headed to?
14 Jan – Tunisia: Celebrations Welcome the End of Ben Ali's Rule
14 Jan – Tunisia: Ben Ali Has Left the Building
14 Jan – Arab World: Welcoming the Fall of Ben Ali
14 Jan – Tunisia: Tweeting Ben Ali's Speech–Change 2.0 or Just a Show?
13 Jan – Tunisia: YouTubing the Uprising
13 Jan – Tunisia: Hackers take over Tunisian Foreign Minister Kamel Morjane's Blog
13 Jan – Jordan: Tunisian Protests May Trigger More Agony for Arab Governments
12 Jan – Tunisia: Whisperings of Coup Just Rumour
11 Jan – Lebanon: Bloggers Support Tunisian Protests against “Arab Pinochet”
10 Jan – Tunisia: An Eyewitness Account from Tala
10 Jan – Tunisia, Algeria: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
09 Jan – Tunisia: “Please tell the world Kasserine is dying!”
03 Jan – Tunisia: Anonymous vs Ammar – Who Wins the Battle of Censorship?
01 Jan – Tunisia: Lawyers Assaulted for their Sidi Bouzid Stand
December 2010
31 Dec – Tunisia: “We Are Not Afraid Anymore!“
30 Dec – Tunisia: The Cry of Protestors Echoes Around the World
23 Dec – Tunisia: Unemployed Man's Suicide Attempt Sparks Riots
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Hashtags: #sidibouzid | #Tunisia
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