Slim Amamou ( ( ar, سليم عمامو, Slīm ‘Amāmū; born 1977) is a
Tunisian blogger and a former Secretary of State for Sport and Youth in the
transitional Tunisian government of early 2011. He resigned from the role in the week of 25 May 2011 in protest of the transitional government's censorship of several websites.
Early life and education
Amamou studied at the
University of Sousse.
[Slim Amamou's profile at LinkedIn](_blank)
He is a
blogger and author of
ReadWriteWeb France.
Political career
He protested against
censorship in Tunisia and organized a demonstration on 22 May 2010.
[Isabelle Mandraud, « Au gouvernement, Slim Amamou, 33 ans, conserve ses réflexes de blogueur », ''Le Monde'', cahier spécial ''Tunisie : le sursaut d'une nation'', 21 janvier 2011, p. V]
He was arrested on 6 January 2011 during the protests that led to the
Tunisian Revolution, alongside others including
Azyz Amami. The
Anonymous hacktivist group had led attacks on the Tunisian government's websites, and Amamou was held for five days by the state security forces under the suspicion of having collaborated with the hackers.
Following a mass internet campaign and protest, Amamou and other bloggers were released from government custody.
Amamou was later released, and, following the flight of
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a
national unity government was formed. Amamou was invited to become Secretary of State for Sport and Youth ( ar, كاتب دولة للشباب والرياضة, french: Secrétaire d'État à la Jeunesse et aux Sports) in that government on 17 January 2011.
When he assumed the role he told television channel
France 2 that he would resign from his role if the government started to interfere with the internet, such as using
internet censorship.
He received considerable criticism online for joining the transitional government, particularly from fellow bloggers and internet activists.
In his role as Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, he was subordinate to the Minister for Youth and Sports,
Mohamed Aloulou
Mohamed Aloulou () is a Tunisian cardiologist and politician. He was Minister of Youth and Sports from 17 January - 1 July 2011 in the second cabinet of Mohamed Ghannouchi and continued in the same role in the following Essebsi Cabinet.
Biogr ...
. On 29 March 2011, he was expelled from the
Tunisian Pirate Party
The Tunisian Pirate Party ( ar, حزب القراصنة التونسي ' ; french: Parti pirate tunisien) is a small political party in Tunisia. It was formed in 2010 and legalised on 12 March 2012, becoming one of the first outgrowths of the P ...
for joining the transitional national unity government. He later joined a rival party, the
Pirate Party of Tunisia, instead.
On the week of May 25, he resigned from his post in protest of the transitional government's censorship of several websites at the request of the
Tunisian Army.
Political positions
He supports the
legalisation of cannabis
The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...
in Tunisia. He is an advocate for
network neutrality and opposes
internet censorship.
See also
*
2010–2011 Tunisian revolution
The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...
*
Operation Tunisia, which gave Amamou software to spread during the revolution
References
External links
* Amamou's blog
NoMemorySpaceInterview with Amamoubroadcast on
Radio France Internationale
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amamou, Slim
Tunisian bloggers
Tunisian activists
Tunisian Pirate Party politicians
Living people
Prisoners and detainees of Tunisia
Government ministers of Tunisia
1977 births
People of the Tunisian Revolution
University of Sousse alumni