A dissident Tunisian blogger arrested under ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was included in the new government announced on Monday as the secretary of state for youth and sports.
Slim Amamou was imprisoned in the final days of Ben Ali's regime and was freed on Thursday - a day before Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia after 23 years in power under pressure from a wave of protests.
Amamou is a well-known blogger and he said he was arrested on charges of hacking government websites. He denied doing so. Internet users played a key role in the protests, relaying information and keeping the international spotlight on events.
Amamou said he was "very surprised" when he was asked to join the new government just moments before it was officially announced. "I had to make a decision in a few minutes," he told French TV channel Public Senat.
The government also includes Moufida Tlatli, a famous film director, who is the new culture minister. Tlatli is well-known for her film "The Silences of the Palace" about the condition of women during the independence struggle against French colonial rule.
Amamou and Tlatli are among the civil society figures in the new government, which has been charged with overseeing Tunisia's transition towards presidential and parliamentary elections to be held within six months.
Slim Amamou was imprisoned in the final days of Ben Ali's regime and was freed on Thursday - a day before Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia after 23 years in power under pressure from a wave of protests.
Amamou is a well-known blogger and he said he was arrested on charges of hacking government websites. He denied doing so. Internet users played a key role in the protests, relaying information and keeping the international spotlight on events.
Amamou said he was "very surprised" when he was asked to join the new government just moments before it was officially announced. "I had to make a decision in a few minutes," he told French TV channel Public Senat.
The government also includes Moufida Tlatli, a famous film director, who is the new culture minister. Tlatli is well-known for her film "The Silences of the Palace" about the condition of women during the independence struggle against French colonial rule.
Amamou and Tlatli are among the civil society figures in the new government, which has been charged with overseeing Tunisia's transition towards presidential and parliamentary elections to be held within six months.
No comments:
Post a Comment